Here We Go Again
by Shun Yamada
Summary: 20 years down the road, Naruto and Co.'s kids go through the same trials and tribulations as their parents and then some. Chapter 6 finally up! Sasuke and the rest of us learn how Naruto became the boss! R&R!
1. The Lost Tears of Tomorrow

Here We Go Again

**Disclaimer! **I don't, and sadly never will, own Naruto. The closest I shall ever come is in the form of graphic novels, original characters and my own demented dreams. Also, suing me is pointless, as I'm dirt-poor and not making a cent off this venture.

An Author's Foreword

I don't expect much of this fic. Much. I expect something, what I have no clue. I leave the response to you, the readers. All forms of review are accepted, from glowing praise and worship (preferred) to the hottest of flames (I'd rather avoid these). Most of all, I ask your honest opinion. Don't spare my feelings, as they by-and-large don't exist. If you felt this was a waste of your time, and that's the general consensus, I'd rather not waste mine writing crap. Domo arigato gozaimasu.

Chapter 1: The Lost Tears of Tomorrow

The rain fell hard. The dark night, accentuated only by lightning, seemed an omen of the sorrow that would exist the next day. Under the lightning-streaked sky, two former friends stood, face-to-face, for the first time in almost 4 years. Naruto breathed hard, his considerable stamina already taxed to no end. Perhaps a yard away, Uchiha Sasuke, once called the genius of his graduating class, stared at his former rival and friend. He raised his Sharingan eyes to look his former friend in the face. His hands blurring in a rapid series of seals, he grimaced.

"I'm sorry Naruto, but this is the only way it can end" he said in a low, level voice. That same infuriating voice that had always driven Naruto, now served as the Reaper's toll. The chakra around his hand was plainly visible to all, the resonant sound of the Chidori echoing throughout the desolate forest.

Haruno Sakura stared. She had watched the battle between two of the most important people in her life, and she was torn. Could she let Sasuke do this? Her tears were hidden by the downpour.

Breathing heavily, Naruto rose. "So, this is it bastard? The way it's gonna end? Bring it on" he said with his typical stubborness, his grin half-plastered on his face. Swirling his chakra in his palm, he grimaced. "Rasengan!" His call echoed through the forest. The rivals stood in the darkness, studying the changes that the last four years had wrought, their jutsus the only light source. Finally, the moment came. A single raindrop, falling ahead of all others, struck the ground. They charged. As they neared, four years of lost time closed, lightning flashed, striking nearby. Sasuke grinned, confident that his longer reach would grant him victory, and his greater power. Then a dark shape appeared between them.

Naruto blinked. He knew that something had darted between them, and he'd released the rasengan, afraid it was Sakura. Now he could only stare blankly as Sasuke's hand emerged from that form. The Uchiha quickly withdrew his hand, the expression on his face somewhere between ecstasy and abject horror. Lightning crashed. revealing the form of Hyuuga Hinata collapsing backwards into Naruto's arms. His eyes wide with shock, Naruto caught the falling girl, lowering her to the ground. Hinata coughed quietly, than smiled up at Naruto.

"I...I'm sorry...Naruto-kun. I... just wanted to... help the one I loved..." she said as the light faded from her eyes, a sad smile on her lips.

Naruto's Subconscious 'Hinata... loves...loved...me? Damn. Damn. Damn! Hey! Bastard fox!' A faint snickering could be heard in the distance.

"Well brat, had you finished this all those years ago, had you not denied my full power, the girl would still live. And now you wish my help in destroying the Uchiha! I love the irony" the Kyuubi laughed in Naruto's mind.

'NO! I want your help, but not to kill him. Death is too good for the bastard! I want him to suffer! I want justice!'

"Hmm. Not kill him... but let him instead suffer... what the hell, I'll help you brat". The arrogance of the fox astounded Naruto even now, but that didn't matter. He had some work to do.

Sasuke watched Naruto cradle the Hyuuga girl's body, his breathing slow. Then, his head slowly lifted, as he gently set down Hinata. "So, come back to the living, Naruto?" Sasuke sneered, not sure of his own feelings in this. "It was unfortunate, but..." "Shut up bastard" Naruto growled in a deep, near-unrecognizable voice. His chakra flared, the blue changing to a blood red.

"You really must think you're so damn good, don't you? Tell me bastard, just how much have you really improved in the last three and a half years? Do you know any power sealing techniques? Well bastard?" The Uchiha shuddered at the sheer hatred of the aura surrounding Naruto, his Sharingan revealing nothing to him.

'Damn. I still don't know what this is! Orochimaru and Kabuto wouldn't tell me anything, and there is no record of anything remotely like this in anything I had access to. What the hell is this?' Sasuke thought as he began the seals for Chidori again.

Sakura knew that Hinata was already far beyond her skill, and she was beginng to worry about Naruto. She had recognized the Kyuubi's aura the second Naruto unleashed that power, and now she was afraid of what it meant. Never had she seen this degree of intensity in Naruto, nor this much of the Kyuubi's chakra channeled at one time, and it frightened her.

'I want to help you, but I can't. I'm just too weak, always so far behind the both of you. You always supported me, of course I was too blinded by my feelings for Sasuke to care at the time. Then you became my friend, my true friend. But now, I can't bear this, I don't want to lose the one I love! Please don't die..' she slapped a hand over her mouth even as the name whispered through her lips. "Naruto".

"Well bastard? Whataya got?" Naruto roared at Sasuke.

"Against this, at it's fullest power, nothing. I don't know Naruto, I really don't. So why don't you tell me, what is this power of your's? Where does this enormous chakra come from? How do you heal even now from injuries that should, by all rights, kill you? Please explain" he said, his voice echoing hollowly through the forest.

"You don't know? You really don't? After Gaara, Orochimaru, hell Zabuza or our fight three years ago, you still haven't figured it out bastard? So much for genuis" Naruto laughed bitterly.

"You wanna know where this power comes from? You want a power like this for yourself I imagine. Well, you're outta luck bastard. Demons are in short supply for sealing these days. I got lucky that day, 16 years ago" Sasuke's eyes widened at the word demon.

'16 years ago, what the hell happened 16...years...' "The Kyuubi" Sasuke whispered, Naruto already behind him.

"It's over bastard" Naruto said quietly, as he drove a miniature Rasengan into the small of the Uchiha's back, causing him to buckle and collapse to the ground.

"Oi, Saukra!" Naruto called through the dawn mist. "Stablize the bastard, I need some rest before we head to Konoha". Sakura broke away from HInata to see Naruto leaning against a tree, Sasuke laying face-down nearby, a horrible wound in his back. Naruto, grinned, his fangs receding as the power of the Kyuubi faded.

"Looks like I finally beat 'im, huh? he chuckled, his voice raspy from the power he'd been channeling. The grin soon faded as had the fangs.

"Hinata's... gone... isn't she, Sakura?" Naruto asked in a hoarse whisper, his head sagging, Sakura's brilliant eyes clouded, and she nodded, unable to say the words she feared.

"I'll carry her back" came the fox-boy's voice. "It's only right. She died for my sake, and it's the least I can do for her. Besides, she's gotta be lighter than the bastard, right?" he laughed, a empty sound against what had transpired. Sakura could only begin to sob silently as Naruto slipped into unconciousness, as torn by the night's events as by her own revelations.

"Up ahead, half a kilometer at most. I see Sakura, she appears to be crying. Naruto's slumped against a tree, but think he's just sleeping. There are two bodies. One is Sasuke... wait he's breating shallowly. The other is... oh kami." Neji increased his pace five-fold. His team had been dispatched to track down Naruto and Sakura, and four days after recieving the mission, the had found their targets. Lee pulled alongside Neji, worried by the tone of his rival and friend's voice.

"What is it Neji? What?" he asked in a tone that may have betrayed the fears forming in the taijutsu specialist's mind and heart. "Who is the other body?" he said, already knowing the answer by the grim set of Neji's jaw. As Neji whispered that which Lee had already figured out, the Proud Blue Beast of Konoha slowed his pace to that of Gai and Tenten.

"Lee, what has Neji so worried?" Gai asked already full-well knowing by Lee's eyes. "It's Hinata-chan. She's dead."

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Author's Notes

Well, I warned that Naru/Hina fans would be upset. I realize that this a bit a short first chapter, but that will change with later chapters. I also intend to lighten the mood soon, but not yet, so bear with me. Please give me as much feedback as possible, as I'd like to know if you feel my portrayals are OOC. Also, if you look at more recent chapters of the manga, the feelings that Sakura may have developed towards Naruto are justifiable. But anyways, read, review and enjoy!

Shun


	2. Daybreak

Here We Go Again

**Disclaimer! **I don't, and sadly never will, own Naruto. The closest I shall ever come is in the form of graphic novels, original characters and my own demented dreams. Also, suing me is pointless, as I'm dirt-poor and not making a cent off this venture.

Chapter 2: Daybreak

Naruto awoke in time to see the west gate of Konoha, and a rather familiar, and greasy, bowl-cut to his face's immediate left. "Fuzzy-brows?" he croaked out.

"Please Naruto, you can wait until we reach the safety of the hospital to ask any questions. Although, it is nice to see that you still BURN WITH YOUTHFUL PASSION!" Lee answered, giving the Nice Guy pose while still in motion. And promptly collided with the wall surrounding Konoha.

Sakura winced from her position on Gai's back as Lee smashed into the wall, and Naruto flew off towards it as well. To her surprise, Naruto pivoted into mid-air, turning the head-on collision with the wall into a back-first collision, with his head finding the ground. She quickly dropped off of Gai's back and ran over to her fallen teammate. "Hey, Naruto. Get up. This isn't funny" she whispered as she cradled Naruto's head in her lap.

"Huh. Your face looks really different from this angle. It almost looks like you're really, REALLY worried" Naruto quipped with his trademark grin. "But seriously, I can't move at all. So, little help here, Sakura-chan?" A grin crossing her face as she blinked back the tears, the pink-haired kunoichi easily hoisted Naruto onto her back and passed through the west gate.

Gai watched the scene with a knowing smile on his face. 'Ah, the beauty of youth. Oh, to burn with the passion of youth once more. Alas, I no longer...' he broke off his musings as Lee arose from the collision with the wall, apparently no worse for wear.

"Sensei! Where has my charge gone?" Lee queried, a worried expression on his face.

"Don't worry about it Lee, Sakura-chan is handling it. How about you relieve Ten-ten of her load? I imagine that Sasuke-kun is quite heavy, no?" Gai said, assuming the Nice Guy pose.

"Of course, Sensei! I'll do this job with everything I've got!" the spandex-clad warrior exclaimed, once more using his own Nice Guy pose.

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Naruto awoke to the worst possible sight... the blinding glare of hospital lights. Squinting and turning his head in an attempt to see if Sakura or Fuzzy-brows was there, he only saw the stark blue walls. 'Damn' he thought 'Who the hell makes these walls that crappy color? I mean, it kinda makes me feel sick. I wonder if that's on purpose...huh?' Naruto's private musings were interrupted by the sounds of a scuffle in the hall. He could make out several distinct voices, but couldn't figure out what the hell they were saying.

In the hall, Iruka and Rock Lee fought with all their might to restrain the enraged Neji. "Dammit, it's both their faults! And they're just going to kill Sasuke anyway, so give me Naruto! Let me..."

"Shut up Neji" came a quiet voice from behind. The Hyuuga genius spun on his heel to find a sad excuse for Inuzuka Kiba standing behind him. "She went there of her own will Neji. Dammit, you know how she felt about Naruto. Hell, I think he was the only one who didn't have a clue" Kiba said in something between a monotone and barely controlled rage."So don't blame Naruto, our FRIEND, for her decision. Don't make her... sacrifice, worthless, or I'll have to beat you into the ground." On that Kiba turned and walked away, revealing Shino and InoShikaCho standing further back.

The bug master looked Neji straight in the eyes and spoke. "He loved her, you know. Pain isn't exclusive to you in this matter." Shikamaru sighed, a hint of sadness in his features revealing his sorrow for his friends' trials, while tears lined Choji's round cheeks. Ino on the other hand, stomped forward and stared Neji in the eye.

"You must be the biggest jerk breathing" she snapped, and slapped Neji across the face, then stalked of with tears in her eyes in the same direction as Kiba. Neji stood, stunned. He'd never in his life been unable to anticipate an attack before.

Naruto winced at the distinctive sound of a face slapping, and then relaxed in the comparable silence. A few moments later, Shikamaru slipped into the room, Choji sticking his head and an arm in for a sad smile and a wave. Naruto worked himself into a sembalance of a sitting postion to better converse with his friend. "So, what the hell was going on out there, anyway?" Naruto queried. Shikamaru sighed, and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'how bothersome' under his breath, and explained.

"Neji" was all he said. Naruto likely would have face-vaulted had he been standing, but he wasn't, so a gaping expression of disbelief would have to suffice.

"Don't half-ass it, you lazy ass!" he yelled at his friend. Shikamaru sighed again.

"Neji was in the hall, demanding he be allowed vengeance for Hinata. Iruka and Lee were keeping him out, and Kiba and Ino talked some sense into him" the genius of Konoha said in what sounded like one, extremely drawn out breath. At the mention of the fallen Hyuuga heiress, Naruto's face fell, thinking about what she said. Then the rest of the explanation sunk in.

"Kiba and Ino talked sense into Neji?"

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Sakura sat alone on the rooftop, staring out at the Hokage momument. She was in Naruto's favorite thinking spot, lost in thought herself. Her rather shocking self-revelation concerning Naruto had scared her, and she needed sort out her feelings. Nobody knew what Sasuke's fate was, as the ANBU had grabbed him and whisked him away to an unrevealed location. The ANBU themselves were no longer as powerful as they had been 5 years ago, as the traitorous ROOT forces had been rather messily disposed of in a surprise attack by the Hokage herself, a recovered Hatake Kakashi and the surprise assistance of the Kazekage, Gaara of the Sands. A small smile came to Sakura's face remembering Gaara's reason for helping completely destroy the traitors. Four little words. 'I owed Uzumaki Naruto'. Sakura felt the tears return at the thought of her teammate, friend and.. what else was he to her? Looking at the face of the Fourth Hokage, Sakura thought she could see a resembalance to Naruto, but she shook away those thoughts and returned to her worrying.

As she sat thinking deeply, a voice from behind nearly caused her to fall off the roof. "Yen for your thoughts?" came the unconcerned voice of one Hatake Kakashi, reading his ever-present copy of Itcha-Itcha Paradise.

"Kakashi-sensei! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she yelled, for a moment forgetting about her thoughts. "I'm sorry for snapping like that" she said, remembering herself. "It's just that I've been under so much pressure lately, and..." Kakashi held up a hand, cutting her off.

"I thought you might want to know about Sasuke" the mirror ninja said presently. At Sakura's nod, he continued. "They've been grilling him non-stop since you brought him in, as well as running mental and chakra tests, and..." Kakashi paused, trying to find the right words, "It appears there's a bit more to Orochimaru's curse seal than we first thought. Apparently, it affects the victim's chakra and mind depending on how much growth potential they have. Which is why Anko's survived with it all these years without ill effect, and Sasuke went traitor. Sasuke's growth potential is enormous, and the curse spread through him like a cancer. In light of these facts, the council has decided imprisonment until the curse can be completely removed is the most prudent course of action. Of course, the non-ninja population of Konoha will not be told anything concerning Sasuke, except that he's been rendered a complete non-threat." Kakashi inhaled deeply. This was the longest conversation he'd had with a non-ANBU in 4 months, and he was enjoying it.

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A day later, Naruto was released from the hospital, and, assisted by Lee and Shikamaru, made his way to the Hokage's office for his delayed debriefing. As they enter the waiting area, Naruto heard a booming voice and groaned. "Not Ero-sennin, not today, not now." Once more, Shikamaru sighed and repeated his oft said and perhaps favorite phrase. Lee, on the other hand, was so enamored with the thought of meeting yet another living legend that he completely missed Naruto and Shikamaru's frustration. As the door opened, Naruto inhaled deeply, and bravely stepped into Tsunade's office, ready for the worst. And got it.

"Naruto! How's it going!" the huge sennin called jovially as the worn and tired ninja entered the Hokage's office. Tsunade sat behind he desk, her sake jug grasped in one hand, cracks running the length of it, and Tsunade's expression suggesting that she was about to blow a gasket. Jiraya stood, grinning, apparently oblivious to the great danger not 5 feet from him, while Shizune looked on at it all, an expression somewhere between amusement and exhaustion decorating her face.

"Uhhhh... yeah..." Naruto said as his brain comprehended the full scene before him. Looking over his shoulder at Shikamaru, who shrugged helplessly, Naruto groaned quietly and looked Jiraya square in the eye. "How's it look like it's going, ya old pervert? I spent the better part of four days wandering around the Fire/Sound border territories completely lost, which wasn't that bad considering that I was with Sakura-chan" he said with a slightly perverted grin, then continued. "Then I spent something like 5 hours fighting the bastard, got the crap kicked outta me... and Hinata..." Naruto hesitated, unsure of himself. Jiraya's expression darkened, to what Naruto called his 'co-ed hot-spring with nothing but old women and fat guys' face.

"I heard about the Hyuuga heiress. I was here for Sakura's debriefing. I understand that she said something to you before she passed, Naruto?" Tsunade butted in, her semi-insane mindset from dealing with Jiraya for a period exceeding twenty minutes removing any and all tact she had. Naruto looked at her sadly, instantly removing any irritation the 'Legendary Sucker' had at the moment with the sheer sorrow in his eyes.

"It's none of anyone's business, Obaa-chan. It's... personal" he said with tears forming in his eyes...

Shikamaru considered Naruto's tone and demeanor, the topic of conversation, and overall situation. "Hmm. She finally told him. Little late though..." he muttered under his breath, causing Lee to look at him oddly.

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Sakura waited outside the Hokage's tower, having been informed by Iruka of Naruto's whereabouts. She had to do this, she told herself, it was for the best. Hearing the door creak open a few yards away, her head snapped to the left as Shikamaru and Rock Lee walked out. Lee's perplexed expression said that something odd had occured inside. "Hey... Lee, Shikamaru!" she called, getting the pair's attention.

"Oh, Sakura-chan!" Lee exclaimed, drawing a sigh from his companion. "Could it be that you're here to see Naruto?"

At her nod Shikamaru cleared his throat and spoke "He's inside finishing up his debriefing with Hokage-sama and Jiraya-sama. He should be out in a moment" Shikamaru finished up with ashrug and walked off, the still-confused looking Lee trailing behind him.

'Well, Jiraya's presence explain's why Lee looks like a man made a pass at him' Sakura thought with a giggle.

Naruto pushed the door open, feeling more exhausted than fighting Sasuke had left him. "Hi Naruto" came quietly from the right. Turning wearily, he saw Sakura standing there, looking at him with an odd expression on her face.

"What? Did my hair turn green or something?" he asked her, her continued silence somewhat unnerving him. Grabbig her shoulders, Naruto brought his face right up to Sakura's. "Oi, Sakura? You okay?" he asked hesitantly, unable to keep the worry out his voice. Looking up into his eyes, Naruto saw something... different... in her expression.

"I'm... fine, Naruto. Actually, right now I feel better than I have in a long time. I realized something three days ago, while you were fighting Sasuke-ku..." she caught herself using the affectionate term for the Uchiha "...Sasuke in the forest" she corrected. "I realized that the crush on him I'd been carrying around for years was just that. A crush. He'd never be able to reciprocate my feelings as long as he needed more power, needed to kill his brother. I also realized something else." At Naruto's puzzled expression, and close proximity, she smiled. "There's someone else I love. Real love too, not a one-way crush. Can you guess who it is?" she said with an impish grin on her face. Naruto released her shoulders and dropped into his customary thinking position. After a few moments he popped back up and grabbed her shoulders again.

"I have no clue, but please, for the love of the kami, don't let it be Fuzzy-brows" he said without a hint of humor in his voice or eyes. Sakura rolled her eyes and smiled at his obliviousness.

Leaning in, she smirked at him. "No you idiot, it's not Lee. It's you" she said, then she kissed him.

Naruto could only think 'That's the second time in 3 days a girl's said that to me', and then he returned the kiss.

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Whew! That's chapter 2 folks. Angsty goodness for all. I'd like to thank my reviewers for chapter 1, Lord Skoonie and Samsu. Thanks for the input, and all my irrational, bizzare behaviors have a reason to them Skoonie-sama, whether you can see them or not. Hinata's death served a very real purpose, rest assured. Also, sorry about taking so long with chapter 2. I had 3 weeks of horrible writers block, then I found my muse. Who knew it'd be Vault and Bad Religion? Anyway, with a sufficient supply of both, expect chapter 3 soon. Also, get ready for a serious pace increase. More reviews! Konbabwa! -Shun


	3. Conflict

Here We Go Again

**Disclaimer! **I don't, and sadly never will, own Naruto. The closest I shall ever come is in the form of graphic novels, original characters and my own demented dreams. Also, suing me is pointless, as I'm dirt-poor and not making a cent off this venture.

Thanks to my reviewers: GodessforshortShar and Anasha Atla. Appreciate the compliments!

Chapter 3: Conflict

The sun began to set at just the right angle behind Naruto and Sakura, making their kiss uber-romantic. Sadly, Kakashi was the only one around to appreciate it. And he was busy with his book. After a few more moments, Sakura broke away from Naruto, who stood there with a dazed smile on his face. "...when?" he stammered. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? When what?" she asked him.

Shaking his head, Naruto brought some sembalance of coherance to his thoughts. Clearing his throat, he started over. "Okay... when the hell did this happen?" he spat out. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, but... y'know?" he quickly added, turning to the side while thoughtfully scratching his jaw.

Sakura sighed and dropped to the ground, drawing her knees up to her. Without looking at Naruto, she spoke "I... don't really know. I mean, after you came back from your training with Jiraiya-sama, I was happy you were back. In a 'I-missed-you-as-a-friend' kind of way, but that started to change. The fight with Sasori to save Gaara, Chiyo-san's death..." Sakura halted for a moment, the painful memories building up. Drawing a deep breath, she resumed speaking "... and the fight with Orochimaru at the bridge when you... changed... I..." She stopped again, her emotions beginning to overwhelm her.

Naruto stood, watching as the girl he'd loved since before he'd had friends, who apparently had finally decided to return his feelings, struggled with her emotions. Strange, unfamiliar impulses told him to hold her, to take her into his arms. A lifetime of taking crap told him she'd be fine. An unidentified source told him something that didn't quite make sense, but made him blush quite fiercely nonetheless. He shook his head to shut up all the impulses, and forced his focus inwards. 'Hey, fox bastard! You there?' Naruto called out into his cavernous mindscape.

**'You need not be so loud, brat'** came the Kyuubi's 'voice', sounding almost... tired?

'Oi, you not getting enough sleep fox?' Naruto's mental voice carried a definate sarcastic edge. 'I didn't even think you needed sleep. Huh, that's two really interesting facts I've learned today...'

**'I don't sleep you idiot. You drained off nearly a full tail's worth of power for that stunt with the Uchiha brat. Do you even realize how much chakra is required to outmanuver the Sharingan with the human body's pitiful limitations? Short of using the Heavenly Gates, I mean, but still...' **the sealed demon snarled at his prison, not sounding terribly threatening, given his unmistakable weariness.

'So, I can use up enough of your chakra to permanantly, what, demote you or something? Cool!' Naruto said with his best smirk.

**'You couldn't possibly be this irritating intentionally, you do realize this?' **Kyuubi said with a very Shikamaru-sounding sigh. **'Why exactly are you bothering me anyway? I... helped...' **Kyuubi's tone at the word help had made it sound like the fox demon would very likely retch, had he the capacity to do so **'...so do you plan to explain yourself?' **Naruto mentally shrugged, thinking to himself for a moment.

'Okay, first off, it's my head, so shut up. Second, I need some advice from you'

**'It concerns your bitch, right?' **

'She's not a... right, right, had this conversation with Kiba. Dogs call girls bitches.'

**'I AM NOT A DOG' **

'Canines, dogs, whatever...'

At this point a tic-mark was actually visible on Kyuubi's 'head' . **'Look, she's likely in heat, so just take care of that and you'll be fine. If you need an explanation of THAT, ask the dog-boy.' **

Having already had several conversations with Jiraiya along those lines, Naruto just blushed. 'I think this is something more along emotional lines, actually...'

**'Then you're screwed. I know two human emotions, the satisfaction that only destruction can bring, and as of today, complete and total annoyance. Now leave me alone, I need to rest, so to speak.'** And with that, Kyuubi's presence all but vanished from Naruto's awareness. Naruto stood alone in the carvens which formed his mental landscape.

'Damn!'

Sakura stared at Naruto curiously, wondering why he looked so... blank. Suddenly he muttered something that sounded like damn, and shook his head. "Oh, Sakura... I...uh...' Naruto stuttered as his brain grappled with the current situation, and Kyuubi's suggested solution.

"What were you doing Naruto? It almost seemed like you'd fallen asleep standing up, except that you weren't snoring' she asked as she stood up, brushing off her pants. Naruto couldn't help but notice as her hands traced her 'lines', as Jiraiya would call them. Sakura glanced at Naruto, then promptly smacked him on the head after following his gaze. "Ahem. My answer please?" she stated, hands going to her hips in mimicry of Tsunade's 'no-bull' stance.

Raising his hands defensely, he shook his head. "It wasn't anything perverted, honest! I was asking the bastard fox something, and he made some, ah, 'interesting' suggestions, but...' he said while beginning to back up, looking over his shoulder as he did. Turning back, Sakura was right there, in his face.

"That's all? You had me worried for a minute, dummy. C'mon, lets get some ramen. My treat' she called out as she walked past Naruto. Naruto stood there for a moment, his brain realizing that he wasn't about to get pulped. Then Sakura's offer registered.

"First she says she doesn't love the bastard, then she says that she loves me, than she offers to treat me to ramen? I must've died after beating Sasuke and gone to Heaven" Naruto said with a grin.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Kakashi sat in a nearby tree, smiling approvingly behind his mask. "Hm. Good for him. He finally suceeded in one of his short-term goals. Now he just needs to make Hokage and he's all set" he said to a nearby chipmunk, which chattered in response and scampered away. Kakashi just shrugged and resumed reading his new issue of Itcha-Itcha Paradise.

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Naruto and Sakura sat at Ichiraku, Naruto covering the events of the previous day. "...and then Shikamaru says 'and Kiba and Ino talked some sense into Neji' and my brain crashed or something when I realized what he'd said" Naruto said as he nearly fell off his stool from laughter.

Sakura giggled into her hands, then looked at Naruto. "Ino and Kiba talk sense? That'll be the day Kakashi-sensei gets a girlfriend" she dead-panned, then cracked up. A voice from behind stopped both of them dead in mid-laugh.

"I don't see what's some damn funny Sakura. You're the one having lunch with Naruto" Ino said as she calmly sat down on a stool to Naruto's right, placing him in the eye of the storm.

Sakura nonchalantly shrugged. "Well, one of us had to get around to getting a boyfriend. Not my fault that I realized Sasuke wasn't going to happen in this lifetime" she said as she slurped down some of her pork miso. Ino began a comeback, and then realized what Sakura'd said. Her mouth hanging open, she looked slowly at Naruto, who grinned sheepishly with a light blush, then to Sakura, who stuck out her tongue. Holding up a hand, she rested her forehead in the palm of the other.

"Give me just one minute. I think MY brain just crashed" she said as she slowly rubbed her forehead. "OKay, now, from the top, in order of importance. 1. You just said that you've given up on Sasuke-kun? 2. Did you just say that Naruto was your BOYFRIEND?" Ino more or less said this last part at the maximum possible volume allowed by her current lung capacity. At this point Naruto's face was about the same shade of red as Sakura's old outfit.

And got several darker as he heard one of the three worst possible voices come from behind him. "Did I just hear Naruto is Sakura-chan's boyfriend? Ohhh, my friend, I am jealous of you! You have succeeded where I have failed twice now! I am ashamed." Naruto dropped his head.

"Hey Fuzzy-brows, how's it going?" he droned, while wondering exactly which Kami he'd offended...

Several hours and virtually everyone they knew later, Naruto and Sakura managed to quash any inaccuracies pertaining to their budding relationship, especially the questions Kiba had asked along lines suspiciously like Kyuubi's suggestions earlier in the day. Finally escaping everyone, Naruto and Sakura decided to take a quiet walk. As they meandered their way across Konoha, they came to the training field where they'd had the 'bell challenge' against Kakashi. Climbing a tree, they watched as the moon crept above the horizon. "It's beautiful, isn't it Naruto?" Sakura sighed, leaning against the tree trunk.

"Yeah, but I can think of something better" Naruto said with a small grin.

"Flirt."

"This from the girl who ambush-kissed me." Both of them had a short laugh about that. Dropping from their perch, they began towards Sakura's home, when a voice from behind stopped them.

"Naruto. I need to talk to you. Alone" Neji said as he stepped out from the shadows.

"Neji" Naruto half-growled. "Whaddya want? If this has to do with Hinata-chan..."

Neji cut him off with a glare. "Don't speak her name. I still blame you... but, as per Kiba and Ino's...advice... I will not seek revenge on you Uzumaki. But should we, for any reason, ever meet in combat, don't expect mercy" the Hyuuga said coldly as he walked away.

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Two days later, the Leaf declared war on the Hidden Sound village, based on information extracted from the interrogation of Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto, who was promoted to Chuunin and given a squad of his own to command, was placed in the Assault Corps. Sakura naturally was placed into the Medical Corps, under the direct command of the Hokage herself. Naruto's squad consisted primarily of Genins and other recently promoted Chuunin, including one spanking new Genin by the name of Konohamaru...

3 hours after the surprise promotion by Tsunade, Naruto was reviewing the troops, who, in honor of the Prince of Pranks of Konoha, all turned out wearing masks. Naruto just dropped his head and shook it. 'So this is what Iruka-sensei went through with me... I guess that thing about hindsight being 20-20 was right' he thought as he looked over the troops. "Okay, here's the deal. I want each of you to show me your top jutsu once we arrive at the training field, okay?" A few minutes later they had all lined up in the field, masks still in place. "Okay, show me whatcha got" Naruto spat out, doing his best possible impression of Iruka on a bad day. Naturally he failed miserably. 3 katons, a genjutsu, 2 bloodlimits and a mizu bunshin later; only two members of his squad remained. One looked to be about Naruto's own height, but several times his weight. The blonde ninja sighed. "Chouji, take off the stupid tanuki mask" he sighed as he shook his head.

As the mask came away, Chouji grinned sheepishly. "How'd you know it was me, Naruto?" he asked, producing a bag of chips to eat.

"Call it a hunch Chouji, just a hunch. You don't need to show me your best jutsu. I know what you can do" he said as he stepped over to the last member of his team. 'Well, that explains that promise Shikamaru made me give him about not letting him use that' he thought as he stepped in front of the last one, obviously a Genin, likely fresh from the Academy. He wore a kitsune mask haphazardly wrapped in a... scarf? "Okay shrimp, your go. Let's see your best jutsu" he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Bringing his arms up in front of him, the kit-nin flashed the seals for Henge, then cried "Sexy no Jutsu!" and transformed into a gorgeous, naked brunette. Most of the male squad members got a nosebleed at the very least, Chouji likely the only exception other than Naurto.

Said squad leader just reached out and thumped the girl atop the head and said "Dammit, if you're gonna try and pass that off as original, don't try it with it's creator Konohamaru!" In a puff of smoke, the girl was gone, and Konohamaru unwrapped his scarf from around his head and pulled off the mask.

"Sorry big bro, couldn't resist" he said with a cheeky grin.

'Okay, so Obaa-chan AND the Kami hate me' Naruto thought as he dismissed his team and headed home. This had been one tiring day.

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Three days later, Naruto's squad were the first to see combat, encountering a Sound patrol one kilometer from the Sound/Fire border. Naruto frowned at the fact that they seemed to be waiting for something as the forward scout, one of the Katon users named Nakano Ruriko, had reported. 'Six' the girl mouthed. Naruto frowned.

'Are you sure there's only six? Damn. They're probably strong' he said, hoping that none of them were as bad as him at lip-reading. Moving his squad into a formation Kakashi had taught them way back when, he cautiously began to move the team forward. And everything went to hell.

Before they'd gone ten steps, a massive gust rushed through the woods, blowing away their cover and any sembalance of formation. A moment later, a kunai whizzed by the still stunned Naruto and buried itself in Ruriko's throat. She could only look helplessly at her leader before she dropped to the ground, a doll with cut strings.

"Dammit! Ruriko's down! They have at least one Sand traitor too!" Naruto yelled as the chaos erupted around him. A confident looking older ninja and what could only be a genin rushed at the other remaining Chuunin besides Naruto and Chouji, the genjutsu user, Nozara Yoritomo. Closing on him, they both began jutsu's, then halted, their faces paling. Before they could take another step or form another seal, Yoritomo calmly slit their throats, his genjutsu "Zettai-Kyoufushin" having done exactly what it was made to do. Another Sound nin rushed towards two of the Genins and, his hands blurring into seals, engulfed one of them with a Goukakyuu no Jutsu.

Turning to face the other, he found an impossibly smug look on the genin's face. "What're you smiling at, punk? Your buddy just got torched"

Mazaki Kuemon just shook his head. "You obviously are from Konoha. Haven't you ever heard of the Tenshin clan?" he said with mirth in his eyes. The traitor's eyes widened as he realized his error in jutsu, a moment before the katar on Tenshin Yasuoka's right forearm pierced his skull.

Turning to his sword-wielding friend, he scowled. "Just 'cause my bloodlimit makes me immune to the damaging effects of fire doesn't mean it doesn't still suck to be set on fire, ass!" Kuemon could only shrug and grin.

Another of the genins was over his head as he battled a girl his age. Attempting the taijutsu that he truly excelled at on the girl, he quickly discovered that her skin had the consistancy of stone.

"Damn" he swore "guess that means you came from Hidden Rock, huh? It that case..." he trailed off as he began seals for his bloodlimit. "Looks like I'm done, but so are you bitch!" he cried as his seals finished, and he blurred, appearing behind her. Grabbing her in a bearhug, he spoke through gritted teeth. "Y'know, this is a damn shame, 'cause you're pretty cute. Can't be helped though" The rock-nin struggled, but couldn't break his grip.

"What's the point of grabbing me and shamelessly flirting with me? Do you think we're both about to die or something?" she sneered as she felt his iron grip slacken every so slightly. Glancing at his face over her shoulder, she was shocked to see his face covered in foul boils.

"Actually, yeah" he chuckled hoarsely. "Y'see, my family has an odd sorta bloodlimit. It kills the enemy and the user, by breaking us both down on a cellular level. Neat huh?" he croaked out before vomiting blood all over her and dying.

Meanwhile, Chouji squared off against the wind-user, a girl wielding a fan half-again the size of Temari's. Sizing it up, he whistled. "That's a big fan for such a little girl. Shame it won't help against me" he said with a honest grin. The girl scowled, marring her pretty face.

"We'll see... Kamaitachi!" she cryed as she swung her oversized weapon. Chouji sighed, and his hands quickly executed the seals for a jutsu, finishing just as the Kamaitachi struck. The fan-user smiled smugly as the dust began to settle, but then a tremendous object plowed forward from the dust-cloud and almost crushed her. Her precious fan, however, did fall victim to the Akimichi clan's favorite techiniques, Multi-size and Meat Tank. Quickly pivoting, Chouji made another pass, feeling a meaty squish this time as well as a distinctive crunching sound. Releasing the multi-size, Chouji looked down at his gore-covered clothes and sighed. Not only was his mother going to kill him over this mess, but he'd crushed his last bag of rippled chips too...

The rock-nin looked repulsed as the quickly deteriorating corpse slid off her shoulder. She was thankful for her own bloodlimit, which she was sure why she wasn't in the same condition as the leaf idiot rotting on the ground. She could only consider things for another moment before a massive fireball engulfed her, scorching her weakened flesh. As she looked up, a fuuma shuriken embedded itself into her head. A pair of hungry eyes watched as the brown-haired girl retrieved her weapon, and re-grouped with the other surviving Leaf-nins...

"Who's still here?" Naruto asked at his team came back together. Getting a fairly cheerful here from Kuemon and a grunbled here from Yasuoka, Naruto nodded. The other Chuunin nodded, signifying that they were okay. Konohamaru mumbled something unpleasant, but was in good enough shape. The shuriken user, Hanako, began to speak, but a huge sword emerged from her chest before she could speak, then was casually and roughly yanked back out. Before them stood a lanky, hollow-eyed man with a slight grin on his face.

"Man oh man, do I love killing girls... it's just so much fun!" he said gleefully. Naruto didn't hear any of it though, as his eyes were on the sword he carried.

"Zabuza" Naruto whispered as the mad ninja before him quickly executed the seals for Kirigakure no Jutsu and buried them all in mist. "Damn! Pair up! I know this style of fighting!" Naruto called into the murky fog concealing everything. "Konohamaru, listen to me. This guy is really crazy, and I know that sword he has. It's Zabuza's sword, Kuribiki ... something ... forget it, the name's not important. The point is, I'm gonna attack this guy as soon as I figure out where he is. I want you to grab the other surviving genins and run. Chouji and Yori oughta be fine, but I want the rest of you outta here, understand?" Konohamaru nodded, a somewhat pointless gesture, but Naruto got the point all the same.

"One question though..."

"What?"

"How are you gonna find him?"

Meanwhile, Sekine Ryobe stalked his next prey. The other girl had immediately latched onto the red-headed boy, the one who'd killed Tabito and Washi effortlessly. 'Good, he'll be fun' the mad sound-nin thought. Stalking them through the mist, he took an exploratory swipe with this excellent sword he'd just _found_ jammed into some dead guy's grave in the Wave Country. Feeling his blade pass through something, he inched forward. "Damn. Guess I shoulda swung at gut level". He shrugged, and eft the decapitated bodies of Natsume Naho and Nozara Yoritomo on the ground

Naruto's head perked up, smelling blood. "Go, now!" he whispered harshly to Konohamaru, then darted into the mist.

Ryobe, in the meantime, was almost sure he'd found the two who'd kill poor, stupid Konyo. Before he could reach them, someone darted past him, and someone landed a crushing kick into his ribs. A massive chakra flare, blew away much of the mist in the area, revealing the blonde kid who obviously was the leader. Looking over to the two he'd been going for, he saw the fat one who'd squashed Fujiko. A real shame too. He'd wanted to kill her himself. Returning his attention to the blonde kid, he bowed deeply. "Sekine Ryobe. Late of the Mist, currently of the Sound. A master swordsman and a literal ladykiller. Yourself?" he gave his introduction with a flourish at the end.

Naruto snorted and rubbed a thumb across the underside of his nose. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I wanna know why the hell you have Zabuza's sword, asswipe!" The sword-wielding nin looked none-plussed for a moment, then began looking at his sword, and then Naruto.

"You serious? This was HIS sword? Momochi Zabuza was my freakin' idol when I was little! Oh man is this cool!" He rambled on about Zabuza for a few moments before refocusing. "Uzumaki Naruto, huh? Name don't mean crap to me"

Naruto grinned a darked version of his normal grin. "It should. I've defeated that wuss Kabuto, your lame-ass snake of a boss, and that bastard Sasuke!" A thoughtful look crossed Ryobe's face.

"Huh. Been wondering where wonder-boy went. Oh well. Guess I'll just kill you" he said, and readied Kiribiki Houcho.

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"Zettai-Kyoufushin" - Absolute Terror : A genjutsu developed by Nozara Yoritomo which renders the victim paralyzed by bombarding them with their worst fears, leaving them completely vulnerable to attack.

Don't cliffhangers suck? Well, I felt like it 'cause Bleach has returned to the 'very episode must end in a cliffhanger' tactic, and I felt that sharing my frustration was good. Anyway, please gimme some reviews, because feedback is great, and I'll keep pumping out the Naruto-y goodness! - Shun


	4. A New Start

Welcome back, loyal readers! Before we get on with the big fight between Naruto and Ryobe, I'd like to say a few things. First off, this is the final chapter of the 'Beginnings' arc, and chapter 5 will begin the 'New Hope' arc. Second, if anyone has ideas for OCs for the next arc, lemme know. The format for submitted OCs is as follows: Name, Age, Height/Weight, Eye/Hair color, home village and a brief description. The following ninjas don't have any OC kids planned for them, so feel free to play around: Shino, Chouji, Shikamaru, Temari, Konohamaru, Udon, Moegi, Ebisu, Kakashi, Shizune, Anko, Iruka, Asuma, Kurenai, Kabuto, Baki, Kankuro, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Hanabi, Kisame (yikes!), Rock Lee, and Gai. As for the brothers Uchiha, that's for me to know and you to go crazy trying to figure out. (Thanks to Shadowmaster62 for that one. Read his stuff!) Be aware, only about 6 of the submitted OCs will be used. Send your submissions either in a message thing or an email, which can be found on my profile. Confirmed pairings are: Naruto x Sakura (obviously), Kiba x Ino (see this chapter for explanation), Neji x Tenten (seperated). Likely pairings include Shikamaru x Temari (not married), Kakashi x Shizune (cause it's funny), Iruka x Anko, and Konohamaru x ?. I haven't really decided who the little puke's getting paired with. I mean, look what I've inflicted on poor Sakura...

**Disclaimer! **I don't, and sadly never will, own Naruto. The closest I shall ever come is in the form of graphic novels, original characters and my own demented dreams. Also, suing me is pointless, as I'm dirt-poor and not making a cent off this venture.

Chapter 4: A New Start

Last time...

Naruto grinned a darked version of his normal grin. "It should. I've defeated that wuss Kabuto, your lame-ass snake of a boss, and that bastard Sasuke!"

A thoughtful look crossed Ryobe's face. "Huh. Been wondering where wonder-boy went. Oh well. Guess I'll just kill you" he said, and readied Kiribiki Houcho.

Now...

As the huge blade rose, Naruto dropped, his body in a loose three-point stance. His eyes narrowed as he stared at this man who'd defiled Zabuza's grave, killed his teammates, and now threatened him. This guy was so going down.

Flashing through the familiar seals, Naruto grinned. And Naruto grinned. And grinned. In fact, some 25 Naruto's grinned at Ryobe as the misplaced Mist-nin blinked, unsure of what had just happened. "What's wrong, jerk?" one clone taunted. "Can't sense the real deal?" another quipped from his perch on the underside of a low-hanging branch. Another gestured to himself with a thumb. "And this is just the beginning of what I got" he crowed as a pair of clones descended on Ryobe.

'Alright, so the kid can make an assload of bunshins. Big hairy whoop' he thought as the duo came at him. Smirking arrogantly, he thrust his blade casually at the one he thought was the real deal, and watched in satisfaction as the blonde ninja jerked to a stop on his blade. Glancing at the other one, he turned a blow to the temple into a shot square between the eyes.

The impaled ninja's head snapped up, a grin on his face. "Psych!" he yelled before vanishing into a puff of smoke. Ryobe staggered backward from the blow, a confused expression on his face.

"What the hell was that, I've never even seen a jutsu like that!" he spat as he reassumed a combat position. A clone dropped in front of him, driving a fist into his stomach.

"What..." it said. Another landed a grazing kick to the sword wielder's shoulder as it called "...never...". A third appeared below him and sent him airborne with a kick "...heard..." A pair of them rose to his sides. "...of Kage..." one cried as he launched a fist "...Bunshin!" finished the other as an axe-kick crashed into Ryobe's chest. Another form blurred into being above him and launched a driving kick into his chest "Uzumaki Rendan!" he cried as they impacted the ground.

Rising from the crater, Ryobe coughed, then quickly dove to the side as a spray of kunai impacted the spot where he'd landed. Darting forward with a slash, three clones vanished in a puff of smoke. Ryobe pivoted right cutting out at another clone, cursing as it proved to be just that. "Tachi-haji Gufuu!" he called out as he began a high-speed spin, lashing out in all directions. Bunshins popped left and right, leaving only the original, who dodged nimbly away from the whirling blade.

Landing in the stance he'd started the fight in, Naruto grimaced. "Guess you're better than I expected. Looks like I'll have to turn it up" he said as a grin spread across his face.

Sprinting towards his still-spinning foe, Naruto created yet another Kage Bunshin. Extending his right hand, he began the chakra swirl, which he handed off to the clone as he sprung into the air. The clone grimaced as the blade whirled in and slashed across his chest, than thrust the Rasengan forward. There was a moment of stillness, of quiet. Then Kiribiki Houcho, Zabuza's sword, shattered into a thousand pieces. Beginning his descent, another Rasengan formed in his hand, Naruto could only whisper his apologies. "Zabuza, Haku, I'm sorry."

Ryobe's balance ruined by the sword's destruction, the ex-Mist-nin staggered to a stop, staring in disbelief at the hilt he still held in his hand. Then he realized that the one who'd destroyed his blade had vanished into a smoke puff, and the real one had jumped into the air. Looking up, he blinked just as the swirling mass of blue chakra slammed into his face, and he knew only the void.

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Less than a month after war was declared on the Sound, Konoha crushed the Hidden Sound village in a resounding defeat. Although Yakushi Kabuto reportedly escaped into the Stone country, Orochimaru was defeated in combat by the last-ditch efforts of Jounin Gouraku Daisuke, older brother to the fallen Kenkichi, who sucessfully used the Gouraku bloodlimit suicide attack against the Snake Sennin. The battle was witnessed by Umino Iruka.

For their heroism in combat and vital role in weakening the Sound's defenses, Akimichi Chouji and Uzumaki Naruto were promoted to the rank of Jounin. As soon as he found out how much actual work a Jounin had to do, Naruto begged to be busted back to Chuunin. Tsunade just laughed.

Tenshin Yasuoka and Mazaki Kuemon were both promoted to Chuunin for their efforts in battle.

Kakashi finished volume 14 of Itcha Itcha Paradise.

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1 Year Later...

Naruto looked out at Konoha from the balcony of the apartment he shared with Sakura. Sighing, he glanced up at the face of the Fourth, then at old Sandaime. "Dammit old man, you never told me that being one of the best in Konoha was this much of a pain in the ass" he muttered as he leaned against the railing. Sighing, he strengthened his resolve. Tomorrow was the beginning of his own personal hell. Tomorrow, he began leading a Genin cell. Sighing, he glanced downward at the street. Watching the people go by with little interest, he stopped as he saw Kiba and Akamaru walking down the street with... Ino? Shaking his head, he blinked and looked again. "When the hell'd that happen?" he snorted rhetorically.

"About 5 months ago Naruto. Are you still seriously that dense?" Sakura laughed as she came in the front door. The blonde Jounin shook his head vigorously, as though trying to exorcise the disturbing image from his mind.

"No seriously, when and how did this happen? I thought that Ino hated Kiba? I mean, c'mon!" he said as he sat heavily in his beat-up old chair. Sakura had been trying for half a year to get him to get rid of it, and Naruto flat refused. He liked the piece of crap. Sakura smiled and sat on the couch opposite him.

"It was that whole fight with Neji right after we caught Sasuke. Apparently, whatever Kiba said really struck Ino-pig hard, and made her reconsider her opinion of him. Of course, our little run-in with her at Ichiraku didn't hurt either" Sakura said, giggling at the memory. Naruto grinned widely as he remebered Ino's expression at the phrase "Well, one of us had to get around to getting a boyfriend..." in reference to himself.

Feeling a sudden nudging at the back of his mind, Naruto frowned. "Hold on a minute, Sakura. The bastard fox wants to talk."

Retreating into his mindscape, Naruto confronted the caged form of the Kyuubi once more. 'Well, whaddaya want, bastard fox?' he asked as he settled into a comfortable position near the cage.

Rolling his eyes, the fox glared at Naruto. **"You mean to tell me you haven't noticed?" **

Naruto blinked. 'Noticed what?'

**"Your bitch. Her scent is different, fool." **

'Different?'

**"You are actually this dense still?" **

'Why do people keep asking me this question today?' Kyuubi sighed.

**"Irregardlessly, the point is, she smells different." **

'I'm still not getting it...'

**"Unbelieveable. I forget at times that you and subtle go together like anko and pork miso" **

'Hey! I like anko and pork miso!' Naruto cried defensively. The Kyuubi, the nine-tailed demon fox, stared at Naruto as though he'd sprouted a second head who spoke nothing but Portugese.

**"Anyway... the point I was trying to make... forget it. You'll find out soon enough anyway" **the Kyuubi said in the same tone that a tired mother speaks to her hyper 5 year old in.

Coming out of his trance, Naruto looked at Sakura curiously. "Well, what did HE have to say Naruto?" she asked in a mildly concerned tone.

Naruto immediately tensed up. "Uhh, nothing important... I gotta go find Kiba and... ummm... ask him something!" he stammered as he backed up to the balcony, then lightly hopped down. Landing heavily in the street, his head swung around rapidly, then he dashed off in the direction that Kiba and Ino'd gone earlier. Sakura stared at her boyfriend as he bolted off, more then a little worried. Then her stomach turned sour, and she ran for the bathroom.

Dashing down the street, Naruto wondered if what he'd done was the smartest thing. 'Eh, I'll worry about it later' he thought as he rounded a corner, and spotted Ino and Kiba, chatting quietly. Akamaru slumbered nearby, his massive frame curled up behind the young couple as they talked. Pausing behind the corner, Naruto considered his options. 'Hmmm, I could just walk up to them and ask Kiba, but Ino'd probably yell at me. I could wait until they split up, but that could take a while... dammit!' he thought as Akamaru woke up and shuffled over to him, barking loudly as he did. Kiba looked over, his expression going from annoyance to mild amusement at Naruto's expression.

"What's up Naruto?" he drawled with a grin.

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Um, hi guys..." he said. "Uh, hey Kiba, I... uh need to talk. Y'know... privately.." he said uncomfortably.

Kiba furrowed his brow. "Okay. Gimme a sec Ino, I'll be right back" he said, pausing to give her a peck on the cheek. Naruto winced at the extremely odd display (to him), and proceeded to walk a short distance away from Ino and stopped, waiting for his friend. Kiba sidled up alongside him and stopped, leaning against a nearby building. "Alright Naruto, what's this all about?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Scratching his head, Naruto paused for moment, searching for the right words.

After a moment, he looked Kiba straight in the eyes and bluntly said "What's it mean when a female's scent changes?"

"Why do you ask Naruto?" Kiba asked slowly.

Looking around, Naruto leaned in conspiratorily. "HE mentioned it" the blonde ninja whispered. Kiba's eyes widened momentarily.

He'd been let in on Naruto's secret some time earlier, and understood the meaning of HIM. "Usually it means that the bitch is pregnant" he whispered back.

Naruto's jaw dropped as the implications set in. "Thanks Kiba" Naruto managed to stutter as he turned and took off towards his apartment. Walking back over to his girlfriend, Kiba shook his head.

"What the hell was that about?" Ino snorted. Kiba just shrugged. "I think that Naruto and Sakura might be expecting..."

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6 Months Later...

"Dammit Obaa-chan, why me? Sakura's due in less than a month, and you wanna send my team on a mission of 'indeterminate duration'? What the hell's up with that?" Naruto yelled at Tsunade, his eyes narrowed. Returning the glare, the Godaime Hokage shook her head.

"It's out of the question Naruto. I understand the situation, probably better than you do. But your team is the only one available that's qualified for this mission, and I put Konoha first" she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. Staring hard at her, Naruto grunted his assent.

"I'll warn you now Baa-chan, I fully plan to finish this mission as fast, and ruthlessly, as possible" he said, a grim set to his jaw.

Later that day, Naruto's team left Konoha. Sakura managed to make it to the East gate to see them off. Casting a lingering look back at the woman he loved, Naruto forced himself to look forward, and set a brutal pace that would have Lee or Gai straining to maintain. After some 20 minutes or so, it occured to him that, just maybe, his students didn't quite have his stamina. Glancing back, Eriko and Yukio's haggard expressions, and Kazu's rather unexpected glare, confirmed this theory. "Hehe, sorry guys. I just wanna get this over with" he said with a sheepish grin on his face.

Narrowing her grey eyes at him, Eriko sneered. "Gee, we couldn't tell Naruto-sensei. It wasn't obvious at all." Not wanting to become involved in the inevitable explosion of immaturity, Yukio engrossed himself in the study of the local flora, while Kazu sighed.

'Why do they have to do this every time?' he thought. 'It's bad enough that she has that ridiculous crush on him, but she may well be even more obnoxious than Lee-sempai. Who did I anger to get stuck with such a strange group of people in my life?' While Kazu mused over his luck, Naruto and Eriko had an argument resembling something between 6 year olds.

"You're dumb!"

"Oh yeah, you smell like a wet dog!"

"Yeah right, do I look like Kiba?"

"Nah, he's better looking."

"Maybe if you like dumb mutts." Having come out of his reverie, Kazu stared at them in mute amazement.

"You know, we won't make any progress with you two standing there arguing like idiots" he calmly stated. Both teacher and student halted in mid-insult at this observation.

"Crap, he's right!" Naruto yelled, and once more took off at high speeds, although this time at a pace his team could handle.

Coming up alongside the blonde jounin, Yukio spoke quietly. "Umm, so what exactly is our mission Naruto-sensei?" Looking at the quiet young genius, Naruto scratched his head.

"Long-story short, we are to go to the remains of Hidden Sound, and assess whether or not there is any activity going on there, and if so, neutralize any possible threats to Konoha" he answered. Yukio nodded and fell back, already formulating plans for both search and defense. Having studied all available material on the layouts of all the major ninja villages, the young prodigy considered various options for traps and genjutsu placements.

Further back, Eriko sulked. "Why does Naruto-sensei wanna hurry through this mission?" she muttered in a sulking tone.

"Because he's worried about Sakura-san and their coming child, dolt" came a monotone response from Kazu.

Turning her sulk into a glare she turned on him. "Why should he care about her? I mean, look how fat she's gotten since he became our teacher" she spat venomously, still keeping her voice low.

Kazu sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That would be because she's pregnant"

"I know that!"

"I refuse to become involved in an idiotic argument with you" he stated flatly and sped up.

"Dammit Kazu, don't you run off!" she yelled, and attempted to catch up to him, but her speed was no match for the Taijutsu specialist's. "Jerk!

Two weeks later, Genin cell 8 arrived at the remains of the Hidden Sound Village. Passing through the shattered south gate, Eriko shuddered. She'd heard some real horror stories about Sound ninja's from Naruto sensei and his friends. Especially Orochimaru. She'd seen a picture of him when Naruto-sensei had decided they needed to know about nukenin, and especially the class-A criminals from Konoha. Although the Uchiha brothers both had expressions that were intense to the point of scariness, at least they were cute. That Kabuto guy was kinda creepy, but more because he looked alot younger than he actually was. Not-so with Orochimaru. The Snake-sennin, former teammate to the Godaime Hokage and Naruto-sensei's own teacher, Jiraya-sama (who they'd met when he came back to Konoha to visit Naruto some time after he'd become their Jounin teacher, and she'd immediately decided was a complete pervert), was scary on a whole different level. He frightened her. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder as Yukio attempted to bring her back to reality. "Dammit! Don't do that!" she yelled.

Yukio cowered, knowing full-well that she could thrash him. "I'm sorry, but I need some help setting these Genjutsu. I'd ask Kazu, but he's helping Naruto-sensei set up traps at the points I showed them on the map"

Eriko scowled. "What map?"

"This one" Yukio said as he produced a huge scroll from his pack, showing a detailed layout of the Hidden Sound village as it'd been prior to the attack, and already showing some recent changes to represent the damage to the village.

Eriko gaped. "You brought this with you?" she stammered.

"Sort of. I drew it as we traveled, and then I began modifying it when we got here earlier. Did anyone ever tell you that you're not that observant Eriko?" he said with an impish smile.

"Shut up. All that aside, why can't I help Naruto-sensei? I'm as good at trap-setting as Kazu" she said with a pout.

Yukio's expression became thoughtful for a moment. "I guess that's because I told him to take Kazu. You're better at Genjutsu than him anyway" he said with a shrug. Her face contorted slightly as she inwardly struggled with the fact that he had just complimented her, but she wanted to throttle him for seperating her from her beloved Naruto-sensei.

Finally, she threw her hands in the air in defeat. "Okay, where do we put 'em and what kind do you want?" she said in an exasperated tone.

A strange grin crossed the genius ninja's face. "Funny you should ask..."

Two days later, an alarm genjutsu was triggered. Groggily sitting up, Naruto was surprised to see Kazu already awake, with Eriko readying a pair of long-knives for her peculiar fighting style. Yukio sat nearby, pulling on the odd goggles he always wore hanging around his neck. Pulling on his flak-vest, Naruto cracked his neck. "'bout time something happened" he said with a grin. As the Konoha team moved into a defensive formation, a voice came from the darkness.

"Oh relax. We ain't gonna jump out and kill ya. I happen to like my victims to know exactly who killed 'em. 'sides, the odds are even, no? Let's make this fun and fight each other one-on-one. You can even pick your opponents" he said as he stepped into the moonlight. Eriko started at the sheer size of him, and his frightening, feral features.

As the other three stepped into view, Naruto shrugged. "We couldn't ask for a better deal in this situation. C'mon super-size, you're mine!" he said confidently, sprinting into the darkness. The large man grinned, then dashed off after Naruto. Sizing up their opponents, Kazu pointed to a man no older than Naruto, than ran to the west, his chosen foe hot on his heels.

"I'll fight you" Yukio said as he gestured to a small man wearing a heavy cloak. The shrouded man nodded and turned, gesturing for Yukio to follow. Yukio nodded grimly to Eriko, than followed into the murk.

Turning to face her opponent, she sighed. "Dammit, why do they always think that I HAVE to fight the other girl. It's damn annoying, y'know?" she complained to her opponent.

The red-haired girl nodded. "Nothing we can do, eh? Shall we start?" she said as she grinned sadistically. Eriko brought her long-knives to the ready.

"Anytime you are!" she said with a grin.

The redhead flashed her hands through a series of seals, then extended her left hand. Eriko watched in wonder as a peculiar pinkish energy coalesced around her hand. "What the hell is _That_?" she exclaimed, not dropping her guard.

"What's the matter honey, never seen plasma before? Well, you're gonna get to know it real well" the redhead smirked as she began a charge. Dropping into an impossibly low stance, Eriko drove her knives into the ground in front of her, and yanked herself forward on them, pulling them from the ground as she did. Lauching herself towards her opponent at Lee-esqe speeds, she smirked as she twisted her body in mid-lunge, bringing herself into a barrel-roll. Twisting in mid-air, she barely dodged a thrust from her foe's glowing left hand, and retaliated with a lashing blow with her own left. Pulling out of the roll and flipping around, she landed low and hard on her feet and pivoted, rewarded by the sight of blood running down her opponent's cheek.

"First blood" she taunted with a smirk, bringing her blades to bear again...

Yukio nimbly dodged his opponent's lashing katanas, which continued coming within a hair's width of hitting him. 'I guess all the sparring with Kazu paid off after all' he thought as another blade whizzed by his face. Continuing to dance out of his foe's attack range, he carefully led him to an area which he'd specially prepared for just such an event. Yukio gasped as a blade nicked his nose, producing a cut very similar to the one on Iruka. Ignoring the pain and free-flowing blood, he continued to dance backwards into the area he'd chosen. 'Almost there...' he thought as he rolled away from a double slash. Springing up from the crouch, he landed nimbly on the roof of a burned out building, likely one destroyed with a Katon.

As the sword-user leapt onto the roof, a puzzled expression crossed what was visible of his face. "What, no more running? Pity. I'd hoped we'd get to play a bit longer, at least. Ah well" he said with a shrug, then began his final charge.

As the twin-sword came closer, Yukio yanked up his goggles over his eyes and quickly made the sign of the rat, then called out "Zettai Kyoufushin!", and watched as his opponent stumbled, then began to weep. Drawing a kunai, Yukio walked to the kneeling man and slit his throat, understanding that it was the only way to ensure that his teammates would be safe. Wiping off his kunai, he replaced it in the holster, then he gingerly touched his new scar-to-be. "Ow!" he said, wincing. Then he sighed, and retrieved the small bottle of anti-septic from his belt pouch and sat down. This was going to hurt...

Kazu stood calmly, appraising the man who stood across from him. Shifting into a basic taijutsu stance, he spoke. "You'll have to forgive me. My fighting style isn't nearly as flashy or spectacular as my teammates, nor do I really enjoy using any weapons."

The other man shrugged. "Eh, just means I won't get to use my 'special trick' he said as he bent down and grabbed a piece of metal. Focusing his chakra for a moment, the piece of steel fractured, then simply fell apart. His eyes mildly widening, Kazu just shrugged.

"I'm not made of metal, so I've nothing to fear" he said as the other man fell into a stance not unlike his own, then lunged forward. Blocking the first few punches, then dodging the next couple of attacks, Kazu calmly observed his foe's body movement and chakra flow. Deciding he'd learned enough, he ducked under a high kick, then rushed in and proceeded to launch into a barrage of high-speed punches to his opponent.

Staggered by the attack, the other man fell back. "What the hell was that?" he asked incredulously as Kazu reassumed his starting stance.

"Don't really got a name for it. Probably should though, huh?" he replied matter-of-factly, then vanished. The sound-nin swung his head around, trying to find him. "Behind you" came Kazu's voice. Spinning about, he found nothing, then the back of his head exploded in pain. An explosion of blows rained down on his back, culminating in a rising double-kick to the middle of his back which sent him airborne. Kazu broke his stealth jutsu, then launched himself into the air. "Lion Rendan!" he cried as he blasted the metal-shattering Sound-nin, then righted himself in midair, landing lightly on the ground. His foe rose from the crater created by the impact, appearing no worse for the wear. "Damn" Kazu swore, then began executing the seals for another jutsu...

Breathing heavily, Eriko watched as her opponent traced a series of movements, lined pink in the plasma energy. Wincing at the pain from the burn on her side, she brought up her right hand, flitting a glance at the knife lying on the ground, and her own burned left hand. Grimacing, she realized that she really only had one option, but she wasn't sure she could handle THAT jutsu, but she'd give it a try. Flinging her remaining blade in an arcing toss, she began flashing through seals. Finishing the seals, she grinned, hiding her uncertainty behind the confidence that could only come from being a student of Uzumaki Naruto. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" she cried out into the night, which suddenly was very, _very _crowded. The red-haired sound-nin began to panic at this sudden numeric disadvantage, and wildy swung at the enemies all around her, only to have those she hit vanish into a puff of smoke, and those she missed blast her with kicks and punches. The small swarm of Eriko's began to descend on her redheaded opponent, now wielding kunai in addition to the furious unarmed assault.

"Damn Leaf bitch!" the Sound-nin cried into the darkness, then she was pummeled into unconciousness. Falling backwards, Eriko was caught by two of the few surviving clones.

"Good job" one said as the two of them hi-fived, then vanished into a puff of smoke as Eriko passed out from chakra depletion.

Wiping the blood from his eye, Kazu watched as his foe did the same. 'I don't get it. All his basic movements mimic my own. There must be some significance that I'm missing. Damn... wait!' he thought as he watched his opponent, and realized that he'd been copying his every basic move, but the complex ones, namely the Taijutsu techniques, seemed unmimicable. A thought, a good one, albeit an extremely dangerous one, began to creep into his mind. 'Well, I did promise Lee-sempai I'd only use it in a desperate situation, and this is right about there...' passed across his mind as he began to execute the seals to his most powerful jutsu. As he'd anticipated, his opponent immediately began mimicing him, but likely didn't have a clue as to what he was getting into. Grunting as he finished the seals, he felt his chakra flow increase half-again. "Omote Renge!" he grunted through clenched teeth. Watching his foe's eyes, the increased power must have been quite the surprise, not that it'd matter. Charging in towards him, Kazu blurred momentarily, appearing beneath him. Launching the sound-nin airborne with another double-kick, Kazu again blurred, this time appearing behind him. The forearm wrappings that Lee-sempai had suggested to him, had encouraged him to use, now extended, seemingly of their own will. Wrapping tightly around the stunned sound-nin, they pulled him in close to Kazu, who reversed their momentum and put them into a headlong spin. "Copy this, dick" he said. "Kage Konoha Buyou!" he cried as they impacted the ground. As the dust cleared, it was Kazu sitting at the edge of the impact crater, looking at the way his enemy's neck had snapped. "Ahh, that hurt a bit" he muttered as he forced himself to his feet. "I'd better go find Eriko. She's probably in a bad way by now" he added as he began to trudge back to where he'd left the two girls behind to fight.

Naruto looked confidently at his opponent, who was at least 2 meters tall and as wide across as Jiraiya. "Well, that makes the score us 3, you guys 0. You wanna give up?" he taunted, knowing full well that the large man wouldn't. In response, the big man just snarled and attacked. Darting out of the attack's way, Naruto realized his mistake. This big oaf was likely the least talented one in the whole group. All he had going for him were size and a crazy bloodlust. Sighing at his mistake, the thought that his students might be in real danger now occured to him. 'Crap, I'd better do this quick' he thought as his mind raced through all the jutsus he knew, and the handful of medical ones that he'd learned from Sakura came to him. A grin crossing his face, Naruto suddenly launched backflipping high-kick, squarly connecting with his opponent's jaw. Quickly forming the seals, he lashed out as he cried "Chakra Enjintou!" and drove the chakra scalpel into the large man's heart. The huge man's eye's widened slightly, and he opened his mouth to speak, but only blood spilled over his lips. As the large man toppled over, Naruto was already headed for his students' chakra signatures.

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Three days later, Cell 8 began their trek back to Konoha, with an injured (and very-much chakra-drained) Eriko being carried by one of Naruto's Bunshins, much to her delight. Another carried the unconscious form of the red-haired girl who Eriko defeated, who was to become a formal prisoner of Konoha. Kazu, although Naruto had admonished him for the use of the Initial Lotus, wore a private grin at his victory. Meanwhile, Yukio spent most of the trip prodding the wound across his nose, wincing everytime he touched it. This, of course, sparked Eriko to comment. "Dammit Yukio, it wouldn't hurt if you didn't touch it. Honestly, I can't believe that you had the easiest win, other than Naruto-sensei, and you're still bitching and whining" she stated from her location on the Naruto clone. Kazu just rolled his eyes, knowing full well how long this might go on. "I mean, look at Kazu. He used that Lotus thingy and still managed to walk his way over to me. And all you did was activate a Genjutsu _trap_ and slit the guy's throat, but you're still whining. What a baby" she continued on. In fact, the better part of the next two days was taken up by this. Only when their prisoner awoke did the tirade end.

"Uhhh, what the hell hit me?" she moaned as she came around. As her vision cleared, she immediately noticed two things: she was being carried by a blonde man who was running next to a guy who was _identical_ to him, and the girl who'd beat her was being carried by a third guy who looked the same as the first two. This all being more than her slightly concussed brain could handle, she passed back out.

Observing this whole scene, Yukio looked squarely at Eriko. "And you've been complaining about me" was all he said, in the most smug tone any of them had ever heard him use in the time they'd known him.

Arriving at Konoha's North Gate 17 days after leaving the ruins of Hidden Sound, Naruto set to work. Immediately, he had his clones deliver the girls to the hospital, and sent Kazu and Yukio home, while he went directly to the Hokage's tower. Arriving at the base shortly by Shikamaru, who at the very least appeared surprised at Naruto's arrival. "Hey Shikamaru" Naruto greeted him breathlessly as he began up the stairs to the Hokage's tower proper.

"Hold on Naruto" Shikamaru said. Pausing, Naruto looked at his usually quiet friend.

"What?" he said in an exasperated tone, glancing anxiously in the direction of his and Sakura's apartment.

Shikamaru sighed. "I just thought that you might want to know Hokage-sama is entertaining foreign dignitaries" he said as her glanced over Naruto's shoulder, his expression almost... hopeful? Turning around, Naruto was more than mildly surprised to find Temari, of all people, standing behind him.

"Hi Naruto" she said as she stepped around him, and sidled up to Shikamaru. Turning around, she looked at him. "Oh, you might wanna go see my brother. He's upstairs meeting with the old ba... I mean, the Hokage" she said with a snicker. Rolling his eyes, Shikamaru took her arm and turned away, waving to Naruto as he did.

Returning the gesture, Naruto scratched his head as he began to scale the steps. "One of these days, I'm going to have to sit down and find out exactly who's dating who around here. I'm getting seriously confused" he said to himself as he reached the midway point.

Tsunade's right hand had been inching towards her hidden sake bottle when she heard the thump and groan coming from outside the door. A puzzled look (for him) on his face, Gaara extended a tentacle of sand and opened the door, then caught Uzumaki Naruto as he fell forward. Raising his head, Naruto grinned weakly. "Hey Gaara, Obaa-chan. I'm back."

Tsunade glared at him. "Naruto! Show proper respect for the Hokage dammit!" she snapped as she leaned forward to examine Naruto. "When did you last sleep anyway?"

Sheepishly grinning, Naruto ran his fingers through his hair. "Ummm, about 5 days ago" he said in his best impression of innocent.

"Five... days... Did you at least let your students rest?" she said in a tone somewhere between rage and disbelief.

"Yeah. I had bunshins carry 'em while they slept. That reminds me. We kinda ran into a team of Sound nins, and brought one back for questioning. Her and Eriko are both at the hospital. They kinda tore each other up. Kazu and Yukio are a bit banged up, but pretty much fine" he said nonchalantly. Gaping at him, Tsunade shook her head and withdrew the afforementioned sake from it's hiding place, and took a big draw off it.

"So, how have you been Uzumaki Naruto?" Gaara asked in his most casual tone (which is only mildly more personable than Ben Stein).

Shrugging, Naruto replied. "Not bad. Hey, 'd you know that your sister and Shikamaru are on some kinda date right now?" He could have sworn that he saw Gaara's face tic, just for a moment.

"No, I was unaware of that Naruto. Thank you."

----------------------------------------------------

A little while later, Naruto, as assisted by Rock Lee, was returning home. Lee, who'd just returned from his own mission in Hidden Waterfall, had graciously offered his assistance (grabbed Naruto before he could object), and had thusly headed towards Naruto's apartment. "So, how long until the baby come my friend?" Lee asked him in a surprisingly subdued voice.

Naruto shook his head. "No clue. Best guess is sometime this week, actually. She might have already had the baby" Naruto said as his eyes widened at this possiblity.

Lee smiled lightly and chuckled. "I somehow doubt that is the situation my friend. However, to assuage your worries, let us make haste!" the spandex-clad ninja cried as he hoisted his companion onto his back and sprinted the remainder of the way. A few moments later, Naruto and Lee stood at the front door of his building.

Pulling out his keys, Naruto opened the door and stepped in. "Thanks for the lift Lee. Also, please don't teach my students potentially lethal techniques in the future" he said with a weary grin as he began walking up the stairs.

Walking through his front door, Naruto was immediately greeted by the sound of snoring. Tracing this sound to his favorite chair, Naruto found Konohamaru asleep, drooling quite heavily. A deadpan expression on his face, Naruto thumped him on the head. "Ow! Who the hell..." Konohamaru trailed off as he saw Naruto standing over him, a less than pleasant expression on his face. "Oh, hey Naruto... I... uh... Oh yeah! Sakura-chan asked me to wait here for you! She started having some abdominal pains and..." Konohamaru never finshed the sentance as Naruto jolted into movement and exited via the window. Meanwhile, Rock Lee had decided to take a relaxing walk before returning home. As he strolled along, an orange blur flew by him.

"Could that have been... no. I knew that I should not have partaken of that official's generosity in drink last night" he muttered as he shook his head, then resumed his walk home.

Minutes later, Naruto burst into the Konoha hospital and grabbed the first nurse available and started grilling her. The poor girl was already in tears before Natsume, a nurse who Naruto had befriended during one of his (many) hospital stays, spotted him. "Oh, Naruto-san! Are you here to see Sakura?" she called. Naruto was in front of her before she'd even finished her sentance.

"Where is she?" he asked in a very unstable-sounding tone.

"This way" Natsume said as she backed off a bit, then began leading Naruto down the hall. Stopping at a door a few steps inside the maternity ward, she opened it just in time to keep Naruto from plowing through it.

Stopping at her bedside, Naruto saw Sakura looking at him, a gentle smile on her face. "Hi Naruto, miss me?" she said as he smiled, then passed out from chakra exhaustion.

Five days later, at 4:14 PM, Sakura went into labor. For 7 hours, she screamed, cursed, and crushed virtually every bone in Naruto's right hand. Fortunately, Naruto's regenerative factor was keeping pace with her strength every step of the way, which meant his hand hurt way more than it should have been able to. Finally, at 11:13 PM, Naruto and Sakura had a baby girl. A small mess of blonde hair topped her head, and each cheek bore 3 thin whisker marks. Holding her gently in his arms, Naruto looked down at this life he'd helped create. "What should we name her?" he asked in a small voice, still awed by the enormity of this.

Sakura smiled wearily at him. "I'd actually been thinking about this Naruto. How about Hinata?" she said softly, resting a hand on his arm. A sad smile crossed his face.

Looking at his daughter, it widened a bit. "Hinata... I think it's perfect."

A week later, Naruto and Sakura were married in a quiet ceremony. All their friends, including the Kazekage, attended. Naruto couldn't help but notice that Shikamaru went out of his way to avoid Gaara, and could only barely contain his laughter at his expression when Temari asked him to dance. Neji, who out of deferance to his teammates had come, had nearly come to tears when the happy couple announced their daughter's name. Biting his lip, he had quietly exited through the back, unnoticed by all but a rather concerned Tenten. When asked where they planned to have their honeymoon, Naruto said "The bedroom, likely" with a big grin. Most of the older guests (Iruka, Tsunade, Shizune) had the grace to blush, while pretty much everybody else laughed. It only got louder when Kiba offer to 'watch the pup' for them. Kakashi, surprisingly enough, did not have his book with him. Rather, had anyone been paying attention, he was watching a certain dark-haired medic-nin with a rather forlorn look in his visible eye. Afterwards, Naruto took his infant daughter to his favorite thinking spot. Looking into her eyes, which looked very much like those of her mother, he spoke to her. "You just watch. Someday, I'm gonna be Hokage, so I can protect you and every other precious person I have. That is a promise, and I never go back on my word."

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Bleah! Finally, the marathon that is Chapter 4 is done. This concludes the 'Beginnings' arc, and I'd like to thank everybody who's given me their honest input on this project. I'd especially like to thank Anasha Atla for his reviews, and I hope that I'll get a bunch of submissions for the OCs. Well, until I finish chapter 5, please keep up with the input. Honto arigato!

-Shun


	5. Another Day

This chapter of Here We Go Again was brought to you by Mountain Dew and Green Day. All hail all things green.

**Disclaimer! **I don't, and sadly never will, own Naruto. The closest I shall ever come is in the form of graphic novels, original characters and my own demented dreams. Also, suing me is pointless, as I'm dirt-poor and not making a cent off this venture.

Arc 2 - New Hope

Chapter 5: Another Day

14 years after Naruto and Sakura's marriage...

In his dimly lit cell, the sweat glinted in the low light. Following through on the form, he grunted as he instinctivly tried to use chakra, and the chakra repression field encompassing his cell reacted violently. Floored by the discharge, he lay on the floor of his cell, breathing heavily. For almost 16 years now he'd been here, training when not sleeping or being examined. As a result, he'd honed his body to near perfection. Occasional conversations with whichever Jounin or Chuunin had been assigned as his guard of the day, and regular conversations with shrinks, kept him reasonably sane. Sighing, Uchiha Sasuke sat up from the cool concrete. He hated this place. He hated Orochimaru even more. The damned snake had used him, used his rage against him, and had made him a puppet. Until Naruto had beaten him. Even in his mind the words still sounded odd. Reaching a hand around to his lower back, Sasuke felt the mass of scar tissue at the base of his spine, the spot where Naruto had driven the Rasengan into his back. Pulling his hand away, he looked at the door. His lunch would be arriving soon...

Sighing as the slot at the bottom of his door slid open, Sasuke shook his head. "So who's it today?" he asked in a dull monotone. He started as a familiar voice responded.

"Me, asswipe. Got a problem?" Kiba said.

"Inuzuka?"

"No, Shino learned to talk."

"I see you haven't matured in... oh, twenty years or so."

"Shut up Sasuke." Sighing again as he looked at the 'food' on the tray before him, he began to silently eat. "You get out tomorrow" Kiba said abruptly. Nearly choking, Sasuke spit out his food.

"What?" he gasped as he ran a hand across his chin.

"I said that you get out tomorrow. By order of the Hokage" Kiba replied, mirth evident in his voice.

"I never would have thought that Tsunade would let me out" Sasuke said incredulously. On the other side of the door, Kiba shrugged.

"Yeah, she probably wouldn't 've let you out, but she ain't Hokage anymore." Sasuke paused to consider this new piece of information. It really shouldn't have surprised him, but it did.

"Who is Hokage now?" he asked curiously.

"Sorry, can't tell you. Hokage's orders" Kiba said with a smirk.

"Hn" Sasuke grunted as he returned to his meal.

"You're also being placed in charge of Genin Cell number 4, from class 635920" Kiba casually added, laughing silently as he heard the Uchiha choke again on the other side of the door.

"What?"

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The next day, across Konoha, a pair of Genins sat on a stone bench. The boy's long dark hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, with a few loose strands hanging freely in front of his pale eyes. Wiping one of his too-long sleeves across his forehead, he sighed. The blonde girl to his left raised her head, looking at him somewhat tiredly with her piercing green eyes. Sweat traced down her face, the brutal August heat even making it through her defenses.

"So, we're supposed to get Sotaro-sensei and Katsu's replacements today, right?" Uzumaki Hinata asked in a dull voice.

"Yeah. Why did we have to be here though?" replied Hyuuga Yusuke, heir to the Hyuuga clan.

"Dunno. Someone out there hates us? My dad's a sadist? Bad luck?" she ticked off, raising a finger as she listed off each item. "Gahh! Who knows?" she said, throwing her arms into the air.

"Man, are you two seriously my new teammates? I mean, you didn't even come close to sensing my presence" came a voice from above. Looking up slowly, Hinata jumped as a head stopped a few inches from her own.

"Ahhhh! What the hell?" she yelled as she managed to fall over the back of the bench. His silvery hair hanging freely as he did from the underside of the branch, the newcomer scrutinized the girl with his peculiar blue-grey eyes.

"Okay" he laughed, "that's a new one on me." Causually dropping from his perch, he twisted and landed lightly on the edge of the bench. "So, what's up?" he said as he faced Yusuke. The Hyuuga blinked, a sweatdrop easily visible as it made it's way down the side of his face.

"Uhhh... are you our new teammate?" he asked hesitantly. Leaning back against the back of the bench, the silver-haired boy let his legs pop out from under him.

"Yeah. Name's Hyozan Kenji" he said as he casually stretched out.

"Hyozan? Isn't that the family that moved here from the Land of Water 6 years ago, after the last war there?" Yusuke asked, a curious look on his face.

Kenij's expression darkened for a moment. "Yeah" he said, his face lightening again as the memory passed. Sitting back up, Hinata glared at the back of Kenji's head.

"Okay, you are now officially annoying" she said to his hair, a cross expression on her face. Kenji just laughed. Pointing a thumb over his shoulder, he gestured to Hinata.

"And her?" he asked.

"Hmph. I happen to be the daughter of the Rokudaime Hokage, and the number one Genin in Konoha..." she said as she popped up to her feet. Thrusting a thumb at herself, she continued "...Master of Kage Bunshin, and prankster supreme, Uzumaki Hinata!" she finished, standing in a ridiculous pose.

"Riiiiight..."

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As the three Genins walked through the streets of Konoha, Hinata stared at Kenji curiously. "How come you're not hot wearing that thing?" she asked, pointing at the sleeveless sweatshirt he had on. Shrugging, he flipped a stray strand of hair out from his face.

"Bloodlimit. I've got total control over the temperature of my body, the air surrounding me, and anything I touch. Observe" he said as he took out a kunai. His expression straining for a moment, he handed the blade to Hinata, who jumped as the icy steel touched her skin.

"That's cold dammit!" she yelled as she tossed the kunai into the air. Shrugging, Kenji swiped the spinning weapon from the air, and replaced it in the holster.

"Sorry, sometimes I forget that not everybody handles cold as well as me" he said apogetically. Hinata glared for a moment, then shrugged herself.

"Eh. I can't blame you there. Sometimes I get a bit rough in training, 'cause I forget that not everybody heals like me and dad" she said as she rubbed her hands vigorously together. Upon noticing her new teammate's questioning expression, she resumed speaking. "Me and my dad both regenerate instead of healing like other people. I don't really know why that's how it works, but my father was an orphan from the time of the Kyuubi's attack, so I guess that the rest of the family musta been wiped out or something. I know it didn't come from my mom, but she doesn't really need it anyway. She is Konoha's top med-nin, after all" she finished, a smirk on her face. Behind them both, Yusuke sighed. He couldn't believe that they were arguing over who's bloodlimit was more useful. After all, he was the heir to the Hyuuga and possessor of the Byakugan, which totally trumped any stupid cold thing or healing. Lost in thought, he completely failed to notice that they were being followed...

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Sasuke shook his head. First, he gets released by the new Hokage, who nobody will tell him the identity of, and then he's assigned a Genin team. One comprised of Neji's son, some kid who reminded the Uchiha entirely too much of his old teacher Kakashi, and a girl who was far too much like Naruto for Sasuke's liking. At the moment, said Genins were stopping at Ichiraku for lunch. Feeling that there was no time like the present, Sasuke quietly sat down a stool from the girl, who was sitting on the far right of the three, and ordered a pork miso. As the woman took his order, she glanced at his face, the same cheerful smile on her face that had been there in his childhood slowly fading as recognition set in.

'Sa... Sasuke-kun?" she whispered as her hands began to shake slightly. Sasuke let a small smile escape.

"Yes, it's me Ayame-san. I see that the last 18 or so years have been very kind to you" he replied in a low voice. "And don't worry, I didn't escape. I was released. Hokage's orders." Ayame's response would stay with Sasuke for years to come.

"Naruto-san let you out?"

Sasuke's mind froze at those words. Naruto. Naruto had achieved his goal and become Rokudaime Hokage. He couldn't believe it. As his higher brain functions resumed, he took a deep breath, and looked Ayame squarely in the eyes.

"The idiot actually did it?" he asked at length, still unsure he'd heard correctly. As Ayame nodded, Sasuke became aware of an aggressive chakra beginning to form to his left. Slowly turning his head, he saw the girl, a death-glare fixed on him, rising from her seat.

"Hinata-chan..." Ayame began, but was stopped dead by a quick glance from the girl. Returning her full attention to this man who'd dare insult her father, she covered the distance between them.

"And who the hell are you to be insulting the Hokage, who also happens to be my father!" she demanded, in the process confirming Sasuke's worst fears about her. Clearing his head, he looked her in the eyes, and activated the Sharingan.

"Your new teacher, and someone who's long overdue for a conversation with him" he said with an evil grin.

---------------------------------------------

As the new incarnation of Cell 4 reached the base of the Hokage tower, Hinata looked at her new teacher skeptically. "So, you know my dad, huh?" she asked as they began the long climb up the stairs. Considering the girl, Sasuke thoughtfully scratched his chin.

"Yeah" he finally replied.

A deadpan expression on her face at this response, Hinata pressed on. "Okay, lemme rephrase that. How do you know my dad?" she tried.

"We were teammates. I imagine you've met Kakashi. He was our teacher" he responded. Pausing for a moment to digest this information, she shrugged.

"Huh. I guess that you know Mom too then" she said after a moment. Looking at her curiously, he slowed.

"Who is your mother anyway?" he asked, his tone betraying his curiosity. Looking at him, she tried to read his expression. Failing, she shrugged.

"Her name's Sakura. Why?" she said, a moment later nearly cracking up as his whole expression crashed like a failed attempt at flight.

------------_  
_

_Sasuke's Subconcious_

'Naruto...and...Sakura? What the hell happened? How did that happen? I mean, what's next? Are they going to tell my that Ino married Kiba or something? That would be likely the only thing as ... how the hell did Naruto and Sakura happen? I thought she hated him. At least, when we were kids she did. Before I left...'

"_Exactly_" came another voice within his his head, one that sounded too much like Itachi for his liking. "_I told you when you were little, don't assume that things stay the same_" the voice told him in the same brotherly taunt Itachi had used when they were younger.

'Dammit, you aren't Itachi! Don't tell me what...'

"_I only tell you what you refuse to tell yourself_" the voice interupted. "_You leave them for four years, then spend the next 16 imprisoned, and you still wonder how it happened? Dunce." _

Sasuke mentally shook his head. 'I can't believe I'm taking this kind of abuse from my own subconcious' he thought as he began to return his attention outward.

"_Deal. At least it's only you in here. Naruto does have a free-loader after all."_

------------

As Sasuke came around, he became aware of two things - one: His team was currently sitting in the waiting area outside of the Hokage's office, and two: Some half-dozen masked ninja were around them, all of them facing him. Before he could say anything in his defense, the door to the Hokage's, Naruto's, office opened and Naruto poked his head out. His hair had grown a little, and he could use a shave, but this was definately Naruto. As Sasuke started to speak, Naruto raised a hand in greeting.

"Hey, bastard. How's it going?" he asked as though they'd just talked yesterday. As Sasuke began to sputter, one of the masked ninja's began to laugh. He pulled away the concealing fabric, to reveal himself as none other than Kiba.

"Man, I can't believe your face! Priceless!" he chuckled as rest of them unmasked, revealing Rock Lee, Shikamaru, Ino, Shino and Kakashi, all of whom glared at Naruto in some fashion.

Except Ino, who turned on Kiba. "You were in on this? I practically go out of my head because the most powerful prisoner Konoha's ever held for an extended period of time 'escapes', and it's you and Naruto pulling a _prank_! I swear, I will kill you when we get home" she said, her expression saying that was indeed a serious consideration at the moment. Lee, meanwhile, had already come up to Sasuke and was examining his face.

"Than, could it be that you are rehabilitated? Truly? What a wonderful day this is! Come, let us all celebrate!" he declared, raising a fist in victory. Shino merely looked at Sasuke, then to Lee while raising an eyebrow, then nodded to Naruto, who returned the gesture, and left. Kakashi just stood there, and reached into a pocket. 'If he pulls out that book...' Sasuke thought, then nearly face-vaulted when the little red book made it's expected appearence.

Flipping it open, Kakashi raised a hand, and without looking in Sasuke's direction, greeted him with a simple "Yo." Sasuke just gaped.

About ten minutes later, Cell 4, Kakashi and Naruto were all sitting in the Hokage's office. Having spent most of the previous ten minutes dealing with Rock Lee's unchanged enthusiasm, and the fact that Kiba and Ino indeed had gotten together at some point in the last decade and change, Sasuke held his head in his hands.

"Okay, now, from the top. First off, you actually succeeded in becoming Hokage. How?" he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Naruto's grin grew wider. "Well, it all happened about 6 years ago..."

----------------------------------------

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Well, welcome to chapter 5 and the beginnings of the second Arc! I originally intended for this chapter to be a bit longer, but that's okay. I spent way too much time on it anyway and got squat done. Soooooo, I decided that I'll cut it off here, and grant you chapter 6 in flashback form, sometime in early June. Also, I'm going to start another story, likely Total Chaos, which will deviate slightly from what I said it would. But hey, it's the way I am! So, read, review, and enjoy!

-Shun


	6. Come Again?

Here We Go Again

Disclaimer. I don't own Naruto. Doubt I ever will either. However, I do own Hinata, Kenji, Yusuke, Kuemon, Yasuoka, Kazu, Yukio, Eriko, Akane and any other folks I may dream up, so if you'd like to borrow them, just let me know, okay?

AN: Sorry about the long wait. I've just been lacking in mental stimulation, or I might have burned out my brain. Oh well.

Chapter 6: Come Again?

"Come again?" said Naruto.

Tsunade sighed. "You heard me Naruto. I want you to lead your former genin team on an extraction mission. We have confirmed that Kabuto is in the Stone country, along with a fair contingent of runaway Rock-nins. You are to cross the Stone country border and extridite Yakushi. You have 14 hours before you leave" said Tsunade briskly, and then she turned and walked out of her office, leaving Naruto standing there, dumbfounded.

An hour later, Sakura was staring at her husband, a similar expression to the one he'd been wearing adorning her face. "She wants you to take 3 chuunins, and infiltrate the Stone country? To go after Kabuto?" she spat incredulously. At Naruto's helpless nod, she threw her hands in the air, a disgusted expression on her face saying what she thought of her former teacher's decision. Naruto, for his part, shrugged and sighed. He had a pretty good idea of why Tsunade was doing this, but he wanted to keep his ideas to himself for now, just in case.

Sighing again, he looked at Sakura. "So, where's Hinata at?" he asked, his tone indicating that he probably knew the answer.

"Where else? She's at the park, training with Shiro at stealth tactics" came the expected reply. An all-too familiar mischivous grin crossed Naruto's face.

"I think I'll go pay a visit" he said as he took the quick balcony exit. Sakura could only groan. Eight years of marriage and he still hadn't changed at all.

Hinata crouched, sneaking along behind the hedge row. She knew that dog-boy was somewhere nearby, but where? Pausing, she noticed the familiar scent of Aoshi's flea shampoo, and leapt out, crying "Aha!" as she crashed right into the leg of a tall, powerfully built man, who was staring down at her with a mixed expression of confusion and curiosity. Rubbing her head, Hinata began to apologize, but before she could, the big man broke into a wide grin.

"Well, if it isn't Hinata-chan! You've definitely grown. It's good that you take more after your mother's looks than your father's" he laughed in his deep, booming voice.

A sweatdrop making it's way down her face, Hinata inched backwards a step. "And how exactly do you know me, jii-san?" she asked, assessing her options for escape. As the big man opened his mouth to answer, her father's voice came from behind the big man.

"Crap! I mean... how's it going Ero-sennin?" The big man pivoted and engulfed Naruto in a massive hug.

"Naruto! I was just having a friendly chat with Hinata-chan here. So how's my favorite student been these past, what's it been, eight years?" chuckled Jiraiya as he released the now-gasping Naruto.

Checking his ribs for bruising, Naruto shook his head. "Me and Sakura've been fine, thanks. What're you doing in Konoha anyway Jiraiya?" he asked, wincing as he found a slightly tender spot.

The larger man gave a non-committal shrug. "I was in the area, and thought I'd drop in on my favorite student"

"I'm your only student"

"Irrelevant Naruto. The point is, here I am" the Toad Hermit grinned. Naruto shook his head.

"Have you dropped in on Tsunade yet?" he asked, scratching at the stubble adorning his chin. At the mention of his former teammate, Jiraiya paled for a moment.

"No, she wasn't at her office, and Shizune wasn't around either. So, I decided to check the park on an off-chance, and Hinata-chan here crashed into me" he said.

At that moment, said ninja-in-training was looking at this man who spoke of the Hokage as casually as her father did in stupefied wonder. No way was this easy-going, light-hearted old man the legendary ninja Jiraiya, was he? All the evidence seemed to point that way, but he stuck Hinata as... kinda dumb. Not the fake-dumb that Kakashi jii-san played to keep people off their guard, but honestly somewhat stupid. Still, unsure, she realized that Shiro and Aoshi had managed to evade her for the time being. "Dammit!" she swore, then realized that her father was still standing right there. Looking up at him and Jiraiya with a sheepish expression, she rubbed the back of her head. "Ummm, I have to go find Shiro now... bye Daddy, ojii-san!" she said as she turned and darted into the bushes.

Naruto just shook his head. Turning to his former teacher, he found a bemused expression on Jiraiya's face. "I guess her personality is more like yours than Sakura-chan's, no?" Jiraiya laughed heartily.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Guess so. Anyway, I have to go. Got a mission in about 12 and a half hours to prep for" he said as he started walking away. Jiraiya stood there a moment longer, then scratched his head.

"Why does everyone keep doing that to me today?"

--------------------------------------------------

12 hours later, the reunited Cell 8 stood at Konoha's North Gate, looking out in the direction of the Stone country. Kazu cracked his neck, moving through his stretches with fluid ease. It'd been a few years since the four of them had been together, and it felt... right. He looked at Yukio, who had since become a teacher at the academy, but left when he realized that he missed the excitement of field work. Eriko had long since grown her hair out, allowing it's natural dusky brown color to shown through, although the bottom 3 or so inches still showed evidence of the her once blonde dye-job. As she talked quietly to Naruto, throwing out a few playful jabs here and there, Kazu allowed a half-smile to creep onto his face. It was almost time. Almost time for Team Naruto to ride again.

---------------------------------------------------

_3 days from Konoha..._

Naruto yawned. His team had set up camp 20 minutes ago, and Yukio was now making dinner. Although Kazu had first watch, Naruto didn't feel right about falling asleep first. He smiled as he noticed that Eriko, who had carried around such a crush on him for so long, flirted with Kazu, who, for his part, seemed as oblivious as Naruto had been once upon a time. Then again, spend enough time with Lee... Naruto grinned at that line of thought. Lee was still single, even though most of the rest of them were at the very least involved with someone. He could still remember Gaara's reaction to Shikamaru and Temari. It was a pretty standard Gaara reaction, granted, but it still kinda funny to see just Shikamaru's head sticking out of a column of sand that Naruto still swore looked like a pineapple tree. Kiba and Ino had gotten married about a month after Naruto and Sakura, and had a baby boy a few months after that. Coincidently, Akamaru became a father right around the same time. But Lee, well, his intensity had a tendency of frightening off girls. Oh, he'd had a few girlfriends here and there, but he was overall still single. His stomach reacting to the smell of Yukio's now-finished cooking shaking him from his reverie, Naruto looked just in time to see Kazu with an expression indicating that he'd become aware of the fact that his teammate was hitting on him, and he wasn't sure how to handle it. Smiling and shaking his head as he stood up, Naruto walked towards the campfire. Maybe tonight he'd start reading that book Kakashi had loaned him...

A few hours later, Kazu sat up on his watch, deep in thought. He'd often listened to Lee-sempai lament about his inability to keep a girlfriend over the years, and now he was in a potentially awkward situation. On the one hand, he couldn't deny that Eriko had definitely grown into an attractive young woman, but... but what? He found that he couldn't really think of an argument beyond the fact that at the moment, they were on a potentially deadly mission, but provided they came back, what was there to prevent them from pursuing something more than friendship? Looking back at the last few years, all he'd really done was perform missions and train with Lee. He suddenly realized, as he watched Eriko shift slightly in her sleep, that he'd become very lonely somewhere along the line, and he didn't like the feeling. He decided to talk to her about it the next day. Sighing, it occurred to him that conversation would likely be the most difficult thing he'd ever done.

_The next day..._

Eriko brushed her bangs out of her eyes as Team Naruto moved at high speed towards the Stone country. They were a few hours out from the Grass country, where Naruto had announced they would stop for rest and resupply. Some time ago she'd noticed that Kazu was acting somewhat abnormal, shooting her glances when he thought she wasn't looking, a worried expression on his face the whole time. Glancing at Yukio, who seemed oblivious to the whole situation, she sighed to herself. This mission was a potential powder-keg on several points, and she didn't even know what her own teammate was thinking. All she could think to do was look up at the sky, and then she muttered something that she'd vehemently deny she'd said for years to come. "How bothersome."

Less than a half hour from Hidden Grass, a genin team of Grass-nins confronted Naruto and his team. As the Jounin leader approached Naruto, he paused, scrutinizing the woman's face. "What? Is there something on my face?" she asked, a concerned expression crossing her features.

Naruto snapped his fingers. "Nyoko-san! It's been a while, hasn't it?" he said, a light tone to his voice.

"Do I ... dear Kami, Naruto?" she stammered as recognition set in.

Grinning his usual grin, he started to respond, only to duck a slap intended for his face. "What'd I do?" he cried as the woman launched into a flurry of taijutsu, which he either dodged or blocked.

"Like you don't know" she responded as a roundkick went high over the blonde Jounin's head.

"Actually, I really don't. Care to let me know?" he said as he cross-blocked a knee intended for a particularly valued piece of anatomy. Nyoko froze at this statement, a punch only inches from Naruto's face.

"You're serious? You don't know?" At Naruto's vigorously shaking head, she stopped. "He didn't tell you? That bastard Jiraiya arranged to bring me with you guys in exchange for room and board" she said in a dull monotone, her eyes vacantly staring forward. Before Naruto could say anything, she fainted, pitching forwards into his arms.

"Why does this always happen to me?"

While their team leader was off dealing with both diplomacy with the leader of Hidden Grass and his issues with Nyoko-san, Naruto's team was given free leave to wander about, with Nyoko's team acting as guides. While the male team members engaged Kazu in conversation about various things, including his visible scars and Eriko, the lone female tentatively approached Yukio, who for his part seemed engrossed with the local foliage. Clearing her throat, she bowed. "Hello, I'm Hisamatsu Yukari. Pleased to meet you" she said, a slight quaver in her voice. Yukio startled, and turned to see the white haired girl bowing low.

Scratching his nose for a moment, he leaned in, trying to see the girl's face. "I'm Tomori Yukio. Are you okay?" he said as the girl straightened suddenly, a light blush visible on her face. As she nodded, he again scratched at the scar adorning the bridge of his nose.

"Umm, if it's not too forward of me, could you tell me the story behind that scar, Tomori-san?" she asked in a quiet voice. Cocking an eyebrow at her timidness, Yukio mentally shrugged.

"Sure. I got this scar about, hmmm, 8 years ago. We..." he said while gesturing to his teammates "...were on a recon mission to the ruins of Hidden Sound. We encountered a team of enemy ninja. They were arrogant enough to take us on one-on-one, which was what cost them in the end. My opponent fought in an unusual dual katana style. This..." he pointed at the scar "...was the only blow he managed to land on me. I guess that I got lucky. I also used a genjutsu I'd learned some time earlier to help me beat him as easily as I did" he stated, finishing his story. As he looked at the girl, he realized that she'd long-since fainted, yet continued walking. Sighing, he wondered what it was with these Grass-nins and fainting.

Shortly thereafter, Team Naruto found themselves suitable lodging for the night. Yukio was still out, talking to Yukari about his past exploits while under the tutelage of the rather infamous Uzumaki Naruto, which left Eriko and Kazu alone. Eriko, who until this point had been trying unsuccessfully to get a moment to talk to her teammate, now cornered him as he sat on the veranda, staring at the rising moon. "Kazu..." she said softly "...I think we need to talk. I, um, noticed that you've been acting strange all day. If it was what I said the other..."

"It's not you. It's me" he said, cutting her off. "I've been thinking, Eri. We've known each other a little over half our lives, right? So, I'd say that makes us pretty good friends. I mean, we've had our arguments now and then, and I'll admit, I've been something of a workaholic over the last few years, but I'd like to think that I've been an okay friend to both you and Yukio." he said, not rising from where he sat. After a moment's hesitation, Eriko walked over to him, and sat next to him, a guarded expression on her face.

"Kazu, I..." Holding up a hand, he cut her off once more.

"Sorry, just let me finish what I have to say, then you can say whatever you want" he said as a sad smile crossed his face. "Last night, I did some serious thinking. I realized that I was very much alone, and wasn't even aware of it. I'd become so engrossed in my life as a ninja, that I forgot to have a life as a person too. Look at the other people around us Eri. Naruto has Sakura-san and their daughter, and that is a place of belonging and happiness for him. Yukio has his parents and siblings, and now that Grass girl. Even you have your mother. All I've had since the war with the Sound was Lee-sempai and you guys. And after we all received our Chuunin promotions, we fell out of contact. At least, I did with you two and Naruto. My life has been very empty for a long time now, and I think it's time to fill it with something" he said, his voice straining with emotion. "I don't really know much about relationships, or anything of that sort even, but I know that I hate being alone. And I'll admit, I'm somewhat envious of the happiness that seems to come to others so easily, but I can't seem to find. Do you understand, Eriko? I don't think I can do it anymore" he said, his voice finally cracking. As his head slumped forward, he felt arms encircling him.

"It's okay, Kazu. I'm here. I just... I never did thank you. For that time, back at the Sound, when you came to check on me, despite your own exhaustion and injuries. And, I guess, I just want to be there for you" she whispered, her chin resting on his shoulder as she held him. They wouldn't move for many hours to come.

------------------------------

Another week passed, and they now found themselves in enemy territory. Naruto had been privately observing the progress of Kazu and Eriko's relationship, and he approved. Now, though, they were stuck behind enemy lines. Kabuto's force of renegade Rock-nins also happened to have a fairly large number of surviving Sound-nins, and they had managed to discover the presence of Naruto's team. Although unable to escape, they did manage to conceal themselves, occasionally skirmishing with patrols. Naruto had summoned Gamakichi and sent him to Konoha to retrieve reinforcements.

Several days after dispatching the summoned toad for backup, Naruto and his team found themselves in a tight spot against a combined force of Rock-nukenins and Sound nins. Although between Naruto's raw power, Kazu's taijutsu and Yukio's genjutsu they had stalled the enemy for some time, their chakra stores began to run low, and they began to tire. As the enemy began to surround them, there was a sudden chakra flare and a cry of "Katon: Ryuuku no Jutsu!" as a massive dragon, entirely made of flame, tore into the enemy ranks, and a figure burst forth from it's mouth. The darkly-dressed ninja lashed out, cutting down off-guard targets nearby. A moment later, a Rock-nin closed on him, only to be slashed in half by a well-placed katana strike.

Naruto laughed as he realized who Tsunade had sent as their back-up. "Yasu, Kuemon! It's been a while guys!" he laughed as he drove a kick into a Sound-nin's throat, collapsing the man. Kuemon gave a mock salute and a grin, while Yasuoka nodded grimly as he slashed out the throat of another enemy. A pair of rock-nins regrouped, and began to charge when a pink-glowing kunai tore through the left one's guts. Coughing up blood, he turned in time to see a red-haired girl drive a glowing foot into his skull, imploding his face. The other one backed up a step. The girl's entire body was wreathed in a peculiar pink-red energy, and it burned the ground where she stepped. Snorting, she turned and looked towards the other new arrivals.

"Hey, you guys can't kill all the competent ones and leave me with the chumps" she called out as she returned her attention to the remaining Rock-nin. Grimacing, he charged the girl, who flashed through a series of seals, finishing on the Dragon seal. "Genkeishitsu: Nenshou Hayate!" she cried as she thrust a fist in the air, causing the air around her foe to coalesce into the same pink-red plasma the surrounded her, and engulf him. Trotting casually over to Naruto's group, she stopped dead as she spotted Eriko, who'd also noticed her presence and was wearing a similar expression of disbelief.

"Y...You!" they stuttered simultaneously, both of them pointing at the other. As Naruto and the others finished off the last of the stragglers, they came across the face-off. Naruto, who'd recognized the girl's chakra as soon as she'd arrived, looked on with a bemused grin. Yukio shook his head, while Kazu watched carefully, ready to step in at a moment's notice. Kuemon's expression was much like Naruto's, while Yasuoka appeared almost bored at this.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Eriko finally managed to exclaim, her mind refusing to accept what her eyes were seeing. Recovering from her own shock, the redhead glared.

"Saving your ass, apparently" she said, then turned her glare on the all-too amused Kuemon. "You knew about this, didn't you?" she accused. He could only grin. Sighing, she turned back to the girl who'd beaten her 8 years earlier. "Okay, I know we've got some history, but I'm willing to let it slide until we get back to Konoha, deal?" she said, extending a hand.

Eriko looked at her suspiciously. "I thought you were a Sound ninja? Why are you helping us?" she said.

"Orochimaru wasn't exactly a benevolent leader, and nobody liked Kabuto, okay?" Grunting, Eriko shook the girl's hand.

"Amagawa Eriko" she said.

A small smile crossed the other girl's face. She said "Matano Akane" as she released Eriko's hand.

--------------------------------------------

"…and we infiltrated the place, caught Kabuto, and escaped home. Tsunade baa-chan was so impressed, she gave up the title of Hokage to me" Naruto concluded, a wide grin on his face. Sasuke's expression on the other hand, was less than amused. Sighing, he glared half-heartedly at Naruto.

"Don't even try the Kakashi ending, Naruto. I want the story, in full" he said, his eyes leaving no room for compromise.

Naruto grumbled "I'm Hokage, outta be able to finish stories how I want, bastard" and resumed the tale.

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A few hours later, the reinforced Team Naruto sat in council, Kabuto's headquarters just beyond them. "Okay, so what's the situation?" Eriko asked at a whisper. Naruto nodded to Yasuoka, who, in addition to his fire immunity was quite the recon expert.

"Well, I've confirmed regular patrols here and here" he said, pointing to locations on the map that he and Yukio had been working on for the last hour, "and I'm pretty sure that this…" he paused as he pointed to a low, rectangular building "… is Kabuto's actual HQ. The other buildings appear to be barracks and storage. Overall, I'd say that last battle, combined with the skirmishes you've been in over the last few days, have reduced their numbers by about a third" he concluded.

Naruto nodded. "Kazu, Kuemon. I want the two of you to work on tactics. Yukio and Yasu, you guys continue with recon. Akane and Eriko, you two have sentry duty. That means NO arguing with each other, understand?" he whispered, his tone decreeing that they understood. Glaring at one another briefly, they nodded and walked in separate directions. Naruto waited until they were out of sight, then broke into a huge grin. He knew that giving them a different target, namely himself, would keep them from each other's throats. 'Besides', he thought 'this way, I get to use my favorite jutsu.' As his hands flashed through the seals, he grinned. It wasn't often he pulled off a infiltration mission.

Yukio frowned. He'd just reported in to Naruto, except that it hadn't been Naruto, it'd been a Kage Bunshin. Certainly, Naruto knew the results of his reports, but where was he?

"**Are you absolutely sure about this?" **asked Kyuubi, his tone indicating his annoyance at Naruto's plan. **"I'm willing to lend you enough power to just level the place." **

Naruto mentally sighed, his patience for the demon fox's attempts to convince him to utterly destroy Kabuto's headquarters wearing thin. "Look, I told you. We need to take Kabuto alive, and annihilating the place pretty much sends that straight to hell" he said.

**"Fine, we'll do it your way. I suppose lending you enough chakra to make this convincing is doable, but if things start going down hill…" **

"Yeah, fine, total destruction. Happy?"

**"Close enough."**

The blonde girl stumbled into the camp, her injuries causing her to limp slightly. As a pair of Jounin approached, she collapsed. Within minutes, she was in the makeshift hospital and Yakushi Kabuto was peering at her unconscious form suspiciously. As her eyes opened slowly, Kabuto shifted and set his gaze equal to her's. "Who are you? You aren't one of mine, girl" he said slowly, not disguising the suspicion in his voice.

Rubbing her eyes, she looked at him in confusion, then a degree of amazement. "Kabuto-sama? Is that really you? I though that during the Leaf invasion… I was just a Genin at the time…" she said, trailing off as her fingers grazed the paralled slash marks on each cheek. Following this movement, Kabuto's eyes began to widen. The girl's eyes narrowed as a wicked, fox-like grin crossed her face. "Gotcha!" she cried as the Kyuubi-reinforced henge dropped, revealing Naruto, who quickly executed Kage Bunshin and neutralized the other ninja in the room, leaving only himself and Kabuto.

"So, I was right. How have the last 9 years been to you Naruto-kun?" Kabuto asked, not quite able to keep the quaver out of his voice.

Shrugging as he stood, Naruto grinned. "Not too bad. Kicking the bastard's ass was a high point. You Kabuto?" Naruto replied, letting the air become saturated in the chakra of the nine-tailed fox. His head slumping as he realized just how overmatched he was, Kabuto's head snapped up as the sound of chaos filled the air outside. "And that would be my team. Hard to believe that the oldest of 'em is only 22, huh?" said the blonde ninja, his grin telling Kabuto that he'd be seeing Konoha again very soon…

----------------------------------------------------

"…and so I took Kabuto in without even having to kick his ass. When we arrived back in Konoha, we were immediately summoned to Baa-chan's office. Man, when I saw that Sakura and Hinata were there, I started sweating. Then, Tsunade said something I never thought she'd tell me. She said 'Here's my job Naruto. You made it.' I couldn't believe it. I was still pretty out of it a day later when she announced it to the rest of Konoha, along with the fact that I'd just captured my second class-A or higher nukenin. Never thought that many people could be completely silent at once, but…" he finished, trailing off at the memory with a grin.

Sasuke sat silently, his old brooding expression back on his face. "So, what of the current threats to Konoha? Who are the big enemies now?" he said, his eyes now locked on the Hokage.

Sitting back in his chair, Naruto thought about it for a moment. "Well, our relations with the Cloud still suck. After we took care of Kabuto and his group, the Stone stopped being outright hostile, but they still don't like us. Akatsuki is still out there too, although…" he said, trailing off.

"Although what, Naruto? What is it? What about Akatsuki?" Sasuke pressed, a dangerous gleam entering his eyes.

"Itachi's dead, Sasuke." The Uchiha paused, the color draining from his face.

"What?" he said, his voice little more than a hoarse whisper.

"It was about three years ago. His body was found in a small coastal town, in a hotel. We still don't know what did it, but he was blind" Naruto said in a quiet tone.

"You mean that he'd been blinded."

"No" Kakashi interjected suddenly. "He was blind, like this" he said as he lifted the hitae-ate covering his left eye, his Sharingan eye, which was now milky-white. "It was the Mangekyou-Sharingan. It takes more than just that one sacrifice to get it, because that great power it carries takes away your vision."

Sasuke sighed. "So, my great power, the birthright I wanted so I could avenge my clan, is worthless?" he said, the defeat evident in his voice. "I'm all that's left. I truly am the last Uchiha now."

"Well, maybe not. See, we're pretty sure we know why Itachi was in a rinky dink coastal village. He'd been visiting the Land of Waves, and…"Kakashi said as Naruto suddenly cut him off.

"And we're sending your team on a diplomatic mission there in three days. You'll be working with a team from Hidden Sand as well." Sasuke's mood shifted suddenly, as he began to read the implications behind Kakashi's statements.

"We'll be ready in two".

Author's Notes

Finally done! Sorry about the delay, but a combination of writer's block and lack of internet slowed me down. Now though, I'm back in the swing of things, and hopefully I'll have the next chapter up in a couple of weeks, barring another stupid shift in my existing lifestyle.

-Shun


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